Susan Branco is a licensed professional counselor in Virginia and Maryland. She is an approved supervisor in Maryland, a nationally certified counselor, and an approved clinical supervisor. Branco earned her BA in human services and MA in rehabilitation counseling from the George Washington University. She earned a doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Virginia Tech. For 14 years, she maintained an independent clinical practice specializing in working with adults, children, and families connected to adoption and foster care. In addition, she has professional experience working in community mental health and prenatal care clinics as well as with immigrant populations. She utilizes attachment theory, family systems, and trauma-informed approaches in her clinical practice.

Branco served in brick-and-mortar institutions as a clinical assistant professor overseeing a mental health counseling training clinic, a director of clinical training, and a department chair prior to her role as core faculty/clinical training director at Counseling@Northwestern.

Her research interests examine how school and clinical mental health counselors work with persons adopted transracially and clinical supervision practices with counselors of color. She has several peer-reviewed publications related to her research. She is a 2014 National Board for Certified Counselors Minority Fellowship Program Fellow and is a member of the Minority Fellowship Program Advisory Council. She was awarded the 2019 Bridging the Gap Award for Excellence in Counselor Education and Supervision by the National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation.

Finally, Branco is a member of the American Counseling Association and serves as co-chair for the Bylaws Committee. She is a division member of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, the International Association for Marriage and Family Counselor, and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. Branco also belongs to the District of Columbia and Maryland Counseling Associations and serves as treasurer to the Maryland Association of Marriage, Couples, and Family Counselors.

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