Susan Lipkin , LISW

Susan Lipkin is a licensed social worker based in Ohio who brings 36 years of clinical experience to her psychotherapy practice. She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work and the LISW credential - Licensed Independent Social Worker - which reflects independent clinical licensure. Since first becoming a licensed clinical social worker in 1988 and achieving independent licensure in 1999, she has worked across settings that include private practice, community mental health centers, psychiatric hospitals, and veterans' services.

Susan’s approach centers on the needs and strengths of each person she meets. She uses a client-centered stance to listen closely and collaborate on goals, and she applies Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when it aligns with a client’s needs. Over years of practice she has provided individual, couples, and family therapy and has particular experience with trauma - including sexual and physical abuse and military-related trauma - as well as with domestic violence, infertility-related distress, aging-related concerns, depression, anxiety, and relationship difficulties.

She emphasizes flexibility in treatment, tailoring methods to what helps most in the moment and across different stages of life. Her work aims to offer acceptance, warmth, and nonjudgmental support while helping people navigate complicated emotions, caregiving challenges, grief, and life transitions.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Susan Lipkin draws on client-centered therapy to create a collaborative setting in which the client’s priorities and expertise about their own life guide the work. This approach focuses on listening, empathy, and building a therapeutic relationship to support change and healing. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used to help people identify and shift unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors; CBT is often helpful for anxiety, depression, stress, and practical coping skills. Mindfulness therapy complements these methods by cultivating present-moment awareness and techniques to manage difficult emotions and reduce reactivity, which can be useful for stress, grief, and ongoing life challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Susan works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods fit their goals, preferences, and current needs, and she remains flexible to adjust strategies as progress unfolds.

Online sessions offer practical benefits for accessing care. Video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging allow appointments to fit into busy schedules, support continuity of care when travel or mobility is a concern, and provide options for communicating in ways that feel most comfortable to the client. Licensed professionals can adapt these approaches effectively in virtual formats to support progress over time.