Susan J. LOFTUS LCSW

I believe that the relationship that develops between a client and therapist is at the heart of the therapeutic process. Because of this, I offer an opportunity at the very beginning for  a 'get to know you' phone call. They usually last about 20 minutes. I encourage the client to ask any questions they may have. I will ask a few questions to be sure I am the appropriate therapist for this case.

if we decide to go forward, there is some paperwork that will need to be completed. I endeavor not to have a long waiting list. If I agree to see a client, I should be able to schedule the first appointment within a week. If necessary, I can arrange to see someone within days.

I believe all my clients would agree that I work hard to be sure we have an open and comfortable relationship.

I'm a licensed clinical social worker. I have a masters degree in Clinical Social Work from The Catholic University of America. Since that time, I have consistently, continually added to my knowledge by attending seminars and classes addressing a variety of issues. I have literally hundreds of hours in post masters training. I am a cognitive behavioral therapist with experience and additional training in the following areas:  depression, anxiety, relationships, family, career, medical health (chronic illness, pain, pregnancy and fertility), sexuality, LGBTQ+, suicide and self harm, trauma including extensive work with military/veterans and their families, grief and phase of life issues. 

I knew when I began my Masters degree that eventually wanted to be a therapist in private practice. I was fortunate to have wonderful, experienced mentors who encouraged this pursuit. But they also cautioned me that no one is fully prepared to practice independently simply by receiving a masters degree. In private practice you never know what issues the next client will present. A good therapist should have considerable 'hands on' experience before attempting to provide quality, up to date care in a private practice.

As a result of this belief, I worked for many years in a variety of agencies. During this time I gained experience treating mental health concerns of adults and older adolescents. I feel this gave me the solid background needed to work as a solo practitioner. Importantly, it also made me comfortable identifying issues about which I might not have sufficient training and knowledge. For example, I don't treat patients whose primary diagnosis is addiction.

If I meet a prospective client who I think could be better served elsewhere, I will make a referral and provide support while they are connecting with another provider.

I offer an initial, free 'get to know you' phone call that lasts around 20+ minutes. If, after that, the client and I agree to go forward we schedule an Intake session. There will be paperwork to be completed before that.

The Intake session lasts 90 minutes - 2 hours. Fee: $150

Weekly sessions: 50 minutes Fee: $125 (I offer a sliding fee is necessary)

While I had always enjoyed helping people and was a hospital volunteer at an early age, it wasn't until I happened to take a job with an inner city social service agency that I identified my calling. I worked as an assistant to the head of Social Services. I had thought it would be a type of administrative position. It was. But so much more. After I observed the care and skill displayed by the professional social workers, I knew I wanted to be able to help in that way. But I didn't have a clue as to how they accomplished all that they did.

I worked there over 3 years and learned so much about myself and the field I wanted to enter. It took many years before I could offer the help I'd observed in abundance at that social service agency. I will forever be grateful for the education and experience I received at that administrative job that turned out to be so much more.

Over the course of several decades I have worked with people struggling with a wide variety of issues. Just a brief list: homeless men and women, women with unwanted pregnancies, severely mentally ill, violent felons, people in every branch of service and their families, suicidal and self harming teens and adults, elderly people and end of life issues, adoption and foster care, abuse-both mental and physical, medical issues (including injury, stroke, chronic pain, blindness, stomach and digestive issues, skin disorders,  diabetes, MS, fibromyalgia, cancers, dementia, neurological and cardiac diseases etc), womens issues, separation and divorce, stages of life (including difficulty adjusting to college, first job and other job related problems, living alone, deciding whether to have children, families of teens, empty nest, sexuality, LGBTQ+, adjustment to retirement, end of life concerns etc), financial crises and people coping with poverty. I am comfortable working with interpreters including sign language.

When I decided that I wanted to be in private practice I knew the importance of having significant training in the areas for which I'd provide care. While I no longer work with all those populations (I no longer treat violent felons), I enjoyed my work with each group and learned so much about Life, strength, love and courage from my clients.

First and most importantly, successful therapy hinges on having a comfortable, trusting relationship. It can take longer than you'd wish to find a therapist who is a good fit. But it is absolutely worth it. 

It's very important to know you have a right to ask any questions you want. You will be investing a lot of time and money with this person. You should have a good sense of who you'll dealing with. Professionals shouldn't be upset by your questions. There may be some questions they choose not to answer, but they'll explain why that is. It's that kind of open communication that make a therapeutic relationship work.

It may sound simplistic but 'what will your life look like when you successfully finish therapy'? For most people thinking of starting therapy they just want the pain or chaos and confusion to stop. That's understandable. Something they don't fully understand is making their life unmanageable, sometimes unrecognizable. They want it to stop. They want to get their life back. But to make that stop 'things' will have to change. And that can be very hard to imagine.

Its ok if you don't quite know the answer to that. But share that with your therapist. It will help them get a better sense of your goals and maybe what makes it difficult to achieve them.