Susan is a leading expert in the treatment of shame and has developed a distinctive shame-sensitive, compassion-centered approach to experiential dynamic therapy, integrating somatic, attachment, relational, and psychospiritual orientations within a psychodynamic framework. She is an internationally recognized trainer, supervisor, clinical educator, Certified IEDTA Teacher/Supervisor, a faculty member of the ISTDP Institute, and a clinician with a full-time private practice. She has presented to the following organizations: IEDTA, SEPI, the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, the Brief Therapy Conference, the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and others, and has guest lectured at multiple California universities and professional schools.

Earlier in her career, she served as Media Director for L.A.'s first child abuse hotline, coordinating with public affairs directors at major media outlets throughout Los Angeles County, producing more than 100 public presentations on child abuse and neglect, and catalyzing an award-winning documentary on the subject. Her photography has appeared annually in the juried Mirrors of the Mind Art Exhibit, sponsored by the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, for more than ten years.