Susan Ridenour

Susan Ridenour is a licensed clinical social worker with LCSW and LSCSW credentials and more than 35 years of experience. She practices in Kansas and works mainly with adults ages 21 to 65. Susan focuses on relationship concerns, grief, career challenges, coping with life changes, and coaching to help people move forward.

Her background includes long-term roles in healthcare and community settings. She has worked across the lifespan and spent a decade in leadership positions within large healthcare organizations. That leadership experience informs how she supports people navigating workplace issues and Employee Assistance Program benefits.

Susan uses practical tools in sessions. She shares worksheets and journaling prompts for session prep and follow-up practice. She also invites clients to use messaging between sessions when helpful to track progress and stay connected to therapeutic goals.

In the therapy room she aims to listen without judgment and to create an open environment. Conversations focus on the client’s priorities, whether that means rebuilding after loss, handling family system stress, or planning next career steps. Sessions are collaborative, with an emphasis on usable strategies for daily life.

Susan works with a broad set of concerns including aging and geriatric issues, attachment and family of origin matters, body image, caregiving stress, cancer-related issues, codependency, communication and control problems, dissociation, divorce and separation, forgiveness, and co-morbidity. She brings grounded experience to help people clarify goals and take manageable steps forward.

How therapeutic approaches shape online work

Susan commonly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them while focusing on actions that match their values. It can be useful for coping with life transitions, worry, and persistent inner criticism.

She also draws on Client-Centered Therapy, an approach that prioritizes a respectful, nonjudgmental relationship and follows the client’s pace. This style supports people processing grief, family issues, or questions about meaning and direction.

Finding the right approach is a process. Susan works together with each person to decide which methods fit best for their goals and preferences. She tailors techniques and tools to what a client wants to accomplish and adjusts as progress unfolds.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the available session formats before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let people use written tools or journaling between meetings. Licensed professionals often use a mix of discussion and worksheets to keep therapy focused and practical.