Susan Purrington

Many of the people who find their way to Susan Purrington arrive carrying something they haven’t been able to name yet — a persistent low mood, a relationship fraying at the edges, an anxiety that follows them from the morning alarm straight through to the late-night phone scroll. A licensed clinical psychologist based in Orange, California, Susan works with teenagers through older adults navigating depression, anxiety, eating disorders, mood and personality disorders, relationship stress, and the kind of professional burnout that quietly empties a person out. She offers both individual therapy and couples counseling, and sees clients online.

Her approach is relational and collaborative rather than analytical or prescriptive. Susan brings herself genuinely into the room — not as a distant expert cataloguing symptoms, but as someone invested in helping clients feel known. She is attentive to the fact that entering therapy can feel vulnerable, and she works to build the kind of trust that makes honest, sometimes difficult conversations possible. Stability comes first when it needs to; deeper work follows when the ground is ready.

Alongside her clinical practice, Susan teaches at the university level and has supervised pre-doctoral therapists — experience she believes keeps her clinical thinking sharp and grounded. Her aim for every client is straightforward: that therapy leads to genuine relief, clearer self-understanding, and more joy in daily life and relationships.