Meet Susan Beckman, a therapist at Balanced, LLC.
Susan Beckman, LCPC
Background
Susan earned her MA in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Illinois University. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with more than 30 years of experience working with children, teens, adults, and families. Susan started her career as an Addictions Therapist with Chestnut Health Systems in Bloomington, Il. She then worked as a clinician with the Children’s Home in Peoria, IL and worked as a School Based Therapist for Fieldcrest CUSD#6 before joining the team at Balanced. Her areas of expertise include the following; anxiety, depression, ADHD, behavioral issues, PTSD/trauma, grief and loss, stress management, building healthy habits, adjustment/life transition.
Approach to Therapy
Susan uses a trauma informed approach and draws from a variety of therapeutic tools including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Play Therapy, Mindfulness, and EMDR. She has 2 registered therapy dogs, Aksel (Golden Doodle) and Sunny (Golden Retriever) who often work with her to help meet clients' needs. Susan, Aksel, and Sunny all volunteer with the Peoria Humane Society’s Paws to Read and Paws for Therapy programs. Pet therapy has been proven to help people reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, motivation, and break the ice during therapy sessions.
Susan has a strong belief that we can all benefit from addressing our mental health. She wants her clients to feel welcome, safe, supported, protected, and encouraged. Susan strives to continue to grow as a person and therapist, keeping her world view flexible, knowing that the world we live in is constantly changing.