Suzanne Martinez , LMFT

Suzanne Martinez is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in Illinois with 25 years of clinical experience. She has combined work in a private practice in Champaign, IL, with roles at the Counseling Center at the University of Illinois, and has spent decades writing and teaching about skills for personal well-being and psychological growth. As of December 2020 she is an Illinois Supreme Court Approved Mediator for Judicial Circuit Courts, a qualification that complements her therapeutic work with families and couples.

Suzanne employs a strengths-based orientation, helping people identify personal values and aspirations and translate them into practical steps toward a clearer life vision. She works with individuals and families on concerns such as depression, anxiety, relationship and intimacy issues, grief and loss, addiction, ADHD, self-esteem, career transitions, parenting and blended family challenges, and trauma and abuse. Her clinical practice also attends to adoption and attachment concerns, caregiver stress, codependency, communication problems, and other family-of-origin or life-stage difficulties.

Suzanne draws from evidence-informed approaches to support coping, improve communication, and rebuild connection. She offers services through multiple formats including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to increase accessibility and fit different lifestyles. Suzanne brings a calm, experienced perspective aimed at helping clients move forward with greater clarity and resilience.

Therapeutic approaches and flexible online care

Suzanne frequently draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients clarify what matters most to them and take committed action aligned with those values. ACT combines mindfulness and behavior change strategies and can be useful for anxiety, stress, avoidance, and life transitions.

She also uses Client-Centered Therapy to create an empathic, nonjudgmental space where clients feel heard and supported. This approach emphasizes collaboration and the client’s own capacity for growth, and it can be helpful for relationship concerns, self-esteem, and processing difficult emotions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is another core tool in her practice, offering practical skills to identify and shift unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors that contribute to depression, anxiety, and coping challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the work itself. Suzanne partners with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences, then tailors methods collaboratively so therapy fits the individual rather than the other way around.

Online therapy options - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - increase flexibility and make it easier to integrate care into busy lives. These formats allow licensed professionals to deliver consistent, effective support across different settings and schedules, helping clients access help when and how it suits them best.