Susan Kelly, MA, AMFTSpecializing in anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist offering therapy for individuals, couples, and families by telehealth and in person in Santa Cruz. Practices under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Lucking, PhD, LMFT.
- AMFT #130683
- Telehealth · Santa Cruz

About Susan
Specialties include anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality.
Susan Kelly is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working under Dr. Thomas Lucking’s direct supervision. A Bay Area native, Susan’s professional path was just as rewarding and inspiring as her current career. With a B.S. in Advertising from San Jose State University, Susan launched a 20-year career as a marketing communications manager and marketing consultant at Fortune 500 companies such as SanDisk, and Danone. Her corporate career aside, Susan also served her country in the U.S. Army Reserves and California National Guard for 11 years. What piqued her interest to become a psychotherapist was her passion to truly help people live a happier life. Susan found no better way to do meaningful work for others while simultaneously facilitating her own personal growth. She cannot think of a more rewarding career designed to lessen suffering and improve a person’s quality of life. Susan feels privileged to have another human being share their sufferings, pleasures, anger, confusions, troubles, and accomplishments. She believes anyone in therapy can truly be themselves, without judgement or criticism, just understanding and authenticity. Susan wants to know your story, understand your perspective, and guide you with your best interest in mind. Together, Susan will help you explore how experiences impact the body and how healing comes from understanding the past by integrating Mindfulness techniques, Experiential therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy to Internal Family Systems and other evidenced-based psychotherapies. She is creative in her approach as she knows that we are much more complex than one theory or technique.
Specialties & approach
The areas Susan focuses on, the methods Susan draws from, and who Susan works with.
Specialties
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Bipolar Disorder
- Borderline Personality
Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Person-Centered
- Dialectical (DBT)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- Behavioral Therapy
- Emotionally Focused
Works with
- Individuals
- Couples
- Families
- Teenagers (12-18)
- Young Adults (18-24)
- Adults (24+)
- Elders (65+)
Communities
- Military/Veterans
Faith & spirituality
- Catholic
- Christian
A practical first step, without pressure.
Start with a free consultation with our care team. Mention Susan by name, and we will help you take the next step.
Request a free consultation- License
- Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #130683 (supervised)
- Supervision
- Dr. Thomas Lucking, PhD, LMFT
- Format
- Telehealth (video); in person in Santa Cruz
- Languages
- English
- Clients
- Individuals, couples, and families; teenagers, young adults, adults, and elders
- Fees
- Initial evaluation $275; Individual session (53 min) $275; Psychotherapy or Coaching, 40 mins $225; Psychotherapy or Coaching, 20 mins $175
- Consultation
- Free introductory consultation
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Hers
- Office
- Santa Cruz
Questions before you begin.
Starting therapy is personal. These are a few practical things you may want to know first.
Susan works with individuals, couples, and families, including teenagers (12-18), young adults (18-24), adults (24+), and elders (65+).
Susan is a registered associate marriage and family therapist in California and practices under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Lucking, PhD, LMFT, as California requires for registered associates.
Susan offers telehealth (video) appointments and in-person sessions in Santa Cruz.
Listed fees: Initial evaluation $275; Individual session (53 min) $275; Psychotherapy or Coaching, 40 mins $225; Psychotherapy or Coaching, 20 mins $175. See fees & insurance for out-of-network reimbursement, HSA/FSA, and sliding scale options.
Request a free consultation through the Alira Family Therapy consultation calendar and mention Susan by name.
This practice is not an emergency service. Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and available 24/7. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
You can begin with questions.
You don't need to have everything figured out before reaching out. A free consultation is a chance to ask questions and see whether working with Susan feels like the right fit.