Suzanne Martinez
Practical, strengths-focused therapy for life changes
LMFT Illinois
- Experience
- 25 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Self esteem
- Approaches
- Gottman Method, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Languages
- English
About Suzanne
Suzanne Martinez is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of clinical experience in Illinois. She works with people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, addiction, and life changes.
Background and approach
Suzanne aims to make therapy straightforward and practical so clients can find relief and move forward. Her style centers on building strengths clients already have and clarifying what they want next.
Sessions focus on concrete skills - managing strong emotions, improving communication, coping with loss, or reducing compulsive behaviors. She draws on several approaches so work in sessions matches each person's needs and goals.
Suzanne has worked in both independent practice and university counseling settings and has taught and written about personal well-being. That mix of clinical work and education shapes how she explains ideas and practices new skills.
Clients often get short exercises to try between sessions and a clear plan for progress. She also has experience helping people with adoption and foster care issues, attachment concerns, blended family stress, caregiver strain, and first responder challenges.
Suzanne pays attention to how family of origin, parenting roles, and life transitions influence mood and behavior. Sessions are offered in English and can include conversation about career stress, parenting strain, intimacy concerns, ADHD, grief, and compassion fatigue.
Her approach is collaborative - she helps people set practical goals, test small changes, and build more satisfying daily routines.
Approaches and how online therapy works
Gottman Method focuses on practical communication skills and managing conflict in close relationships, helping people learn ways to talk about hard topics and rebuild connection. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings while taking steps that match their values, which can be useful for anxiety and life transitions. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a warm, nonjudgmental meeting where the therapist listens and reflects so clients can find their own solutions.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences, and may combine elements from different approaches to match current needs. This means methods can change as progress is made.
Online therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make sessions easier to fit into busy lives. Video lets people work face-to-face when helpful. Phone sessions can be better when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging provide quick ways to share updates, practice skills, or get brief support between longer sessions.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Licensed in
Illinois
Languages
English