Suzanne Baer

Suzanne Baer is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Illinois with 22 years of experience. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addictions, and trauma and abuse. Her manner is warm and direct, and she aims to make sessions practical and straightforward for people who are worried or overwhelmed.

Before working in private practice she spent time in inpatient drug and alcohol treatment, sexual abuse counseling, and community mental health settings. That range of experience shaped how she responds to crises and long-term concerns alike. She aims to meet each person where they are and focus on steps that fit their life.

Suzanne draws from client-centered methods so conversations stay focused on the person in the room. She also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help shift unhelpful thinking and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for emotion regulation when needed. Trauma-Focused Therapy and mindfulness practices are part of her approach when trauma and chronic stress are central concerns.

Sessions are collaborative and paced to the client’s needs. Suzanne describes her style as compassionate, interactive, and motivational. She will encourage, challenge, and support practical change without jargon.

To begin, she asks people to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule based on availability. The goal is to create clear steps forward, whether working through grief, addiction, relationship strain, or long-standing mood and anxiety concerns.

How Suzanne's approaches translate to online work

Online sessions can use Trauma-Focused Therapy to gently process past harm, focusing on grounding, pacing, and skills that reduce overwhelm. This approach is often used when trauma and abuse are central concerns and when people need ways to manage triggers between sessions.

Client-Centered Therapy in an online setting means conversations are led by the person's goals and experiences. The therapist listens, reflects, and helps people make sense of what matters to them in day-to-day life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers structured tools online to identify unhelpful thoughts and practice different ways of responding to stress and anxiety.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to identify needs, goals, and preferences, then try methods that fit those priorities. Adjustments are made along the way based on what helps most.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm available options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, shorten check-ins when needed, and use exercises between meetings. Licensed professionals can adapt trauma-focused and skill-based methods for remote sessions, aiming to keep each meeting practical and focused on progress.