Meet Our Staff
Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) at UC Santa Cruz is a part-centralized, part-decentralized service, with professionally trained master's- and doctoral-level clinicians located in our central counseling office within the Cowell Student Health Center complex, as well as in various locations across campus. Our staff members come from diverse backgrounds and have a special interest in and experience with helping students explore a wide range of issues. We offer a variety of mental health and wellness services to UCSC students and the broader UCSC community.
Please note that while some of us have particular areas of specialization, all of us at CAPS recognize the social pressures and cultural factors that affect different groups in unique ways. We have been trained in aspects of multicultural counseling, including working with LGBTQIA+ students, addressing rape and sexual abuse, and supporting students with disabilities. CAPS staff also engage in ongoing mandatory and voluntary continuing education to further enhance their skills as mental health professionals.
The following is a list of our staff members and their locations. Note that we do not provide drop-in counseling, so if you are interested in finding out about and/or starting services with CAPS, please stop by our central office or call us during business hours at (831) 459-2628. You can also find more information about our services on our Counseling Services, Psychiatry, and Groups & Workshops web pages.
- Pronouns she/her/hers
- Title
- Licensed Psychologist
- Division Student Affairs and Success
- Department
- Counseling & Psychological Services
- Phone 831-459-2377
- Office Location
- Crown College Classroom Building, #207
- Student Health Services
- Mail Stop Student Health Center
- Mailing Address
- 1156 High St.
- Santa Cruz CA 95064
Summary of Expertise
Susan is particularly interested in cultural, identity, eating, grief and loss, parenting, life transition, and sexual orientation issues while sustaining a professional passion about community mental health, social justice, and the interface between psychology and religion. Her therapeutic approach is integrative with an emphasis on interpersonal, imaginal, existential, feminist, and psychodynamic perspectives. Susan also draws on alternative treatment modalities to talk therapy such as expressive arts, mindfulness, and somatic practices.
Biography, Education and Training
Susan is a white cisgender female, pansexual identified licensed psychologist (PSY 21766) and certified grief educator who has been working in mental health, social services, and educational settings for over 30 years. She has extensive training and experience in individual, couples, family, and group therapy, as well as mentorship and supervision of candidates for licensure as psychologists in California. As Susan’s journey has included many years of working through eating disorder recovery and significant grief and loss issues, she feels privileged to witness and support others who are struggling with these challenges.
