Susan Ridenour , LCSW, LSCSW

Susan Ridenour is a licensed social worker practicing in Kansas with 35 years of professional healthcare experience. She brings a broad background working across the life span and in a variety of community-based settings, offering support to adults ages 21 to 65. Her work focuses on relationships and family systems, grief and loss, life transitions, aging and chronic illness, spiritual and personal growth, and career or workplace concerns.

Susan has completed intensive leadership trainings and individualized coaching, and she spent a decade in leadership roles with large healthcare organizations - experience that can be useful for clients using employee assistance program benefits. She integrates practical tools into care, sending worksheets to support session preparation and follow-up practice, and encouraging clients to use journaling and the message features to extend work between sessions.

Credentials include LCSW and LSCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker - reflecting clinical training and state licensure to provide therapeutic services. She values the opportunity to be part of clients' stories and aims to create an open, nonjudgmental environment. Susan approaches therapy as a collaborative process and seeks to support and empower people as they take steps toward greater fulfillment and well-being.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Susan often draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to meet clients where they are. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes identifying personal values and learning practical skills to accept difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to meaningful action - it can be helpful for navigating life changes, grief, and persistent worries. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on empathetic listening and building a collaborative relationship, creating space for personal growth and improved communication in relationships. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves examining patterns of thought and behavior and practicing concrete strategies to address them, which can be useful for mood concerns, anxiety, and coping with stressful situations.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Susan works collaboratively with each person to explore which methods align with their goals, needs, and preferences, and she adjusts strategies as progress is made.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, making it easier to fit sessions around work, caregiving, or other responsibilities. These options allow ongoing contact between appointments and support continuity of care when in-person visits are not possible, while still enabling licensed professionals to provide structured, intentional therapeutic work.