Susan LaCroix, LMFT

I'm a seasoned therapist who helps individuals and couples to confront challenges, gain insight, and create more satisfying relationships. I've been working with clients from all walks of life for more than 20 years, drawing from a variety of approaches, including relational, existential-humanistic, psychodynamic, narrative, and Nonviolent Communication.

My experience is wide-ranging. While I specialize in relationship conflicts and communication issues, I'm also comfortable working with anxiety, depression, grief, sexual and gender identity, parenting and step-parenting, family estrangement, divorce, and many other life experiences. I'm especially interested in supporting adults of all ages in life transitions — such as entering adulthood, confronting midlife, changing careers, or ending long-term relationships.

I also have a special interest in supporting individuals and couples through pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, and the changing roles and identities that come with becoming parents. Using empathy-based communication approaches, I help couples stay connected and strengthen their relationship during this challenging transition.

With couples in general, my work ranges from brief, solution-focused therapy to longer-term support for deepening connection and improving communication. I view my role as helping to clarify issues, identify patterns, and provide insight that leads to lasting change. I work with all sorts of dyads (or triads) beyond romantic relationships and life partners — including siblings, friends, housemates, business partners, co-parents, and parents with adult children.

In all of my work, my overarching focus is on the importance of a genuine relationship between my clients and me. I believe that authenticity fosters empathy, understanding, and trust — all essential for effective therapy, no matter what issues are being addressed. I also bring to each session a calm presence, a nonjudgmental attitude, curiosity, and a sense of humor.

For clients in the Ojai area, I offer "walk and talk" sessions as an opportunity to take therapy off the couch and into the outdoors. Walking, especially in nature, can help alleviate depression and anxiety while facilitating clearer thinking, broader perspectives, and an overall sense of well-being.