Practice

Susan Millner uses a variety of evidence-based practices with a specialty in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Susan received advanced training in ACT in 2010 and immediately connected with it on both a personal and professional level. Since then, she has presented at a number of conferences focusing on ACT and provided supervision/consultation to therapists looking to learn the model. In addition to ACT, Susan is trauma informed and utilizes CBT, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, mindfulness, family systems, and a variety of other professional techniques.

Special areas of clinical interest include:

• Mood disorders (including depression and bipolar disorder)

• Parents of children with disabilities, medical issues, and/or food allergies

• Anxiety

• Chronic pain, chronic and acute illness

• Headaches

• Relationship concerns

• Grief

• Therapy for mental health professionals and students

• Supervision/Consultation

Education

Susan received her Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Michigan. After receiving a Masters in Education from the University of Virginia, she returned home to the North Shore to teach special education. After several years, it became clear that Susan’s passion was helping her students and their families through difficult emotional times. She returned to school and earned her Masters in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. Following her first clinical externship at Rush University Medical Center, Susan was privileged to spend her second year externship at the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well Being, where she discovered her love for working with adults with a variety of mental health issues. It was here that she began her training in both ACT and mindfulness and travelled with colleagues to an intensive training in ACT. She also became a part of a monthly "mindfulness in psychotherapy" study group at that time. Following her externship, Susan remained at RCCW, leading the student training group and supervising social work and psychology students in addition to seeing clients. Concurrently, she collaborated with the Robbins Headache Clinic, helping both adults and adolescents with chronic headaches cope with their condition.

Susan is currently vice president of the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Sciences as well as member of the National Association of Social Workers. She is also a former member of the medical advisory board of the Kids with Food Allergy Foundation.