01 · Who Susan works with

Susan works with stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and grief

Susan lists 5 specialisms and 9 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Susan chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Susan's own words

What Susan says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Hello. My name Susan V Filosa (MA, LPC, ATR) and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Art Therapist. My therapeutic approach is inspired by the natural world and a belief in the healing power of innate wisdom and creativity. Over the last decade, I have worked with children, adolescents, adults, and families in a variety of professional settings ranging from a Federal Veterans Affairs Hospital to a state psychiatric residential hospital where I facilitated acute inpatient group care for adolescents and adults. I have experience in helping clients with stress, anxiety, trauma, abuse, grief, and losses of all kinds, including divorce. My approach integrates techniques from professional counseling, art therapy, and evidence-based methods tailored to each individual's unique challenges, interests, and goals. Each personalized session is designed to effectively address the client's specific needs, ensuring relevant and impactful guidance. Counseling sessions emphasize resilience training and equip clients with practical tools and strategies to manage stress and gain mental clarity, allowing them to align more fully with their core values and aspirations. In a confidential, judgment-free space, clients are encouraged to explore both personal and professional challenges with honesty and confidence. Holistic practices, including creative exercises and mindfulness techniques, support lasting growth and empower individuals to cultivate a more fulfilling, balanced life. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

Susan Filosa, on the BetterHelp listing · read 6 Nov 2026

03 · How Susan works

The 6 approaches Susan lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Susan lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Susan's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Susan runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Susan practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Susan's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Susan at this point.

2. Naming Susan specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Susan is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Susan.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Susan

Built from what Susan actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Susan's - Susan has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

• “You offer sessions in English and Spanish. Does the work change depending on which we use?”

  People often reach different material in a first language than in a second. Worth naming before you choose.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Colorado

Licence

CO LPC LPC.0017971

Licence number

LPC.0017971

Licence expires

31 Aug 2027

NPI

1588540744

Years in practice

10

Gender

Female

Languages

English, Spanish

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Susan's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 6 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Susan. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.