Susan Schwerd , MD, LCPC

Susan Schwerd is a licensed clinical professional counselor practicing in Maryland who brings extensive experience and a varied clinical background to her work. She holds an MD, a medical degree, and an LCPC, which stands for Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and has been providing psychotherapeutic services since completing a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at Temple University in 1999. Before entering full-time private practice she spent seven years in a large outpatient mental health organization, including several years as an assistant clinical director, and she previously served for a decade as Director of Human Resources for a mid-sized corporation.

Grounded in a psychodynamic orientation, her style is described as "active eclectic," drawing on cognitive behavioral, Adlerian, and solution-focused techniques to help clients uncover the underlying reasons for persistent conflicts and repetitive behavior patterns. She works collaboratively with people to identify those patterns and to develop new, healthier ways of responding to current life challenges. Her practice emphasizes support for mood disorders and chronic mental illness, anger and stress management, emotional self-regulation, trauma, chronic pain and medical illness, grief and major life transitions, as well as personal growth and professional productivity coaching informed by her HR background.

In private practice she often uses adjunct methods such as neurofeedback, Eye Movement Integration, and clinical hypnosis to enhance psychotherapy. Online clients can learn self-hypnosis and breathing techniques to help manage anxiety and chronic pain and to regain a sense of control. She has substantial experience working with veterans and their families in the Washington DC area, having completed specialized training from military organizations. She offers live video and phone sessions and will respond to a limited number of messages between sessions, but she does not conduct therapy via live chat or ongoing messaging.

Therapeutic approaches and online sessions with Susan Schwerd

Psychodynamic therapy helps explore how past relationships and unconscious patterns influence present feelings and behaviors. It is useful for understanding recurring conflicts, complex emotional responses, and long-standing interpersonal difficulties. Hypnotherapy introduces guided relaxation and focused attention to support symptom relief and behavior change; it can be helpful for managing anxiety, sleep problems, and chronic pain by teaching self-regulation techniques. Solution-Focused Therapy emphasizes practical, goal-directed steps and short-term strategies to build on strengths and to create immediate, achievable change.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Susan works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. She integrates different techniques as appropriate and involves clients in decisions about their treatment plan so that therapy feels tailored and purposeful.

Practically, online work with Susan centers on live video and phone sessions, with occasional, limited messaging between appointments. These formats increase flexibility and make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules, reduce travel time, and allow consistent contact even when attending in-person sessions is difficult. Licensed professionals can adapt these methods to support ongoing care and to help clients maintain progress across everyday environments.