So, here you are. You've put yourself last for a long time. Until now.
Your heart is heavy. Heavy with anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief. With life stress, with life transitions, with the intense demands of work and parenthood and relationships.
You feel disconnection from others. From yourself. You aren't exactly where you thought you would be by now. You feel a profound lack of existential fulfillment. You have this person you want to be. These things you want to do. This life you want to live. But there's something getting in the way and you want to overcome it.
You want to move forward in life; deeply, wholly, mindfully. You are probably a little bit afraid of what you might find, but you've decided that you are ready to harness your strength, dig in, and heal.
Let's work together to explore where you've been, where you want to go, and what you need to get there. I can help.
Clinical competence. Capturing wild yeast for sourdough starter. Authenticity and transparency. Cups of black tea with milk and two sugars. A generally optimistic but realistic perspective on life. French pastry. Honoring the gifts of intuition. Holding sacred The Feminine. A warm, comforting bedside manner. My (maybe kind of excessive) book collection. Traveling in Europe. Academia. Vintage linens. Reading Yalom, my psychiatrist man crush. Baking all the beautiful things that need to be baked.
Suzie was educated at the University of Arizona, the University of Cambridge, and Boston University School of Social Work (where she now teaches clinical skills to graduate students). As a supervisory clinician in the State of Arizona, Suzie can provide supervision and consultation for associate-level clinicians seeking licensure. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) and she is EMDRIA-certified in EMDR as well as an EMDR Consultant-in-Training. She is one of the very few EMDR practitioners who offers Intensive EMDR. Suzie is trained in the wonderous and incredibly powerful Electroencephalography (EEG), Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG or Brain-mapping), and Neurofeedback. She is also trained in Reiki healing and is supportive of a wide array of energy healing modalities. She offers Walk & Talk sessions when the weather is nice. Suzie's approach is compassionate, relatable, authentic, and empowering. Her approach is integrative, evidence-based, trauma-informed, and culturally competent.
I am an intuitive, holistic healer. A guide. I'm also a real person; a mom, a sister, a daughter.
A Survivor.
I believe in the exquisite, transformative growth that is possible during times of great suffering. I believe that you come to therapy simmering with strength and resourcefulness. And I believe in a future where you look back at this time in your life with profound respect for who you were, what you were going through, and who you became because of it.
Crisis means to sift.
What is left when you go through a crisis is what matters.
-Glennon Doyle
“I have never been to therapy before - I have been meaning to connect with a therapist but my life has been just so busy."
“I have been in therapy before. It was awesome/kind of awesome/not awesome. But I’m still feeling like I am stuck. My brain understands the new things I’ve learned, but my body is not catching on.”
"Weekly therapy feels way more overwhelming than supportive right now. I need to address as much of this material in one fell swoop as I possibly can."
"I think I need to step through this slowly . . . weekly, traditional therapy would be better for me."
“I need a lot of help. Like, now, please."
“I’m a therapist and I need to work through my own stuff so that I can continue to show up for my clients.”
“I’m a therapist who doesn't offer EMDR and I have a client who would benefit from EMDR in either traditional, weekly or focused, short-term Intensive EMDR."
“I’m coming from out of town / out of state / out of country for focused, dedicated, intentional healing and I’m planning on a course of Intensive EMDR treatment as well as adjunct healing modalities (reiki, acupuncture, yoga, mindfulness, etc.).”
Traditional EMDR is a weekly or every-other-week treatment. I offer this and am accepting new clients to provide this treatment at this time.
Intensive EMDR is also available. Intensives are an evolved, innovative, progressive, accelerated version of (already-lovely) traditional, weekly EMDR.
Traditional EMDR as well as EMDR Intensives offer you, a Human in 2024, the flexibility and efficiency that you require in order to incorporate healing into your busy life.
I am happy to support your preferred schedule and timeline for your treatment goals.
I am certified in the practice of EMDR by the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing International Association (EMDRIA) and am a Consultant-in-Training. Since 2019, I have facilitated over 4500 EMDR sessions.
The events that lead to your trauma and subsequent trauma response were very likely out of your control.
When you seek treatment (now, today, as an adult) you DO have choices. You choose IF you do the Work. You choose WHEN you do the Work. And you choose with WHOM you do the Work.
Tuck into your intuition and if you feel that the universe is guiding you to my practice at this time, reach out for a consultation. I would be honored to help you heal.
I am trained in several modalities but
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is my favorite, by far. This evidence-based practice is backed by over 30 years of robust and encouraging research. The journey through traditional or Intensive EMDR is so empowering for a client - it is an intuitive, introspective, and very beautiful process. You may know of EMDR as a treatment for PTSD. But it is so, so much more than this. Clinicians and Clients partner in this modality help guide journeys through grief and bereavement, pain management, anxiety disorders, depression, phobias, body image concerns, general emotional dysregulation, "Big T" Traumas, "little t" traumas. We use it as a catalyst to help shift folks who are "stuck" in patterns, and beliefs that don't serve them. It is all a bit magical to be honest. This shifting of energy. The releasing of trauma back into the Earth.
Research tells us that 70% of the population has experienced trauma. Trauma survivors experience an increase in physical and mental health symptoms, difficulty in relationships with others, and in managing emotions. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy and Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) can help.
Grief, whether it results from the actual death of a loved one, or from one of the many forms of symbolic loss that life sometimes brings, is a heavy weight to carry. When we are able to process it in a safe and compassionate space, we are able to move forward with it and become deeply attuned to living our lives fully, deeply, mindfully.
Concerns with depression and/or anxiety very commonly bring folks into therapy. Nearly 20% of the population struggles with anxiety and about half of those who are diagnosed with depressive disorders are also diagnosed with anxiety disorders. A significant number of those who struggle do not receive treatment. And yet here you are today, exploring the possibility of treatment.
Learn about Grief
Trauma occurs when we experience or witness a frightening, dangerous, or violent event that smothers our body's natural ability to cope. We're talking about exposure to death and injuries as well as physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual abuse. However, a trauma response can also occur with more familiar life events (losing employment, relationships ending, grief and loss, global pandemic).
Symptoms may include depression, isolation, hypervigilance, feeling on edge and as though danger is present even when logically, we know that we are safe. Increased anger, irritation, worry, and feelings of shame and guilt are common. General numbness in life, nightmare/flashbacks, avoiding situations that remind us of the event, substance dependence, and general difficulty getting by in life are also possible.
We believe that the mind is inclined to want to heal itself (much like the healing that your body would begin immediately if you were to break your arm), but sometimes traumatic memories aren't processed well and get a bit "stuck." Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which has been extensively researched for more than two decades, can allow for relief for many patients.
Click here to watch EMDRIA's video on EMDR.
About Depression
Grief can mean a lot of things. Most of the time, we refer to grief as the mourning that follows the death of a loved one. Grief is this. For sure. There is also a grief process that we experience when we are dying or a loved one is dying. When we receive a life-changing medical diagnosis. When a pregnancy ends. When fertility ends. When our identity changes. When our beloved pet dies. When a relationship ends. When a opportunity dissolves.When our vision for what the future holds suddenly and irrevocably changes. Infidelity. Divorce. Bankruptcy. Mobility. Health. Innocence. When we lose our job. When our children grow and launch into the world.
Grief can impact our mental, physical, spiritual, and social health. It can seep into all the spaces in between our cells, disrupting equilibrium and the ability to live life fully. Taking the time and space to process your suffering through grief therapy can be cathartic; it can allow you to connect deeply to yourself and to others. It can help you sift through your life to deliberately and mindfully refocus on what matters most to you.
Click here to watch a beautiful story about moving forward with grief.
About Anxiety
Depression can negatively impact the way that we think, feel, and behave. It disrupts our own internal sense of well-being and happiness and can have a negative impact on our relationships with others. But there is hope. With proper treatment, depression can get better.
As we move through life, we don't always feel cheerful.
Feeling low is a part of the many emotions that make us human. But when sadness is unrelenting, when it seems to be your predominant mood, you may be struggling with depression.
Depression symptoms can range from mild to severe and may include a depressed mood, a lack of interest in activities that you once enjoyed, appetite changes with weight gain or loss, sleep disturbances, fatigue, loss of energy, irritability, moving faster or slower than usual, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty with how you think, your ability to concentrate, or your ability to make decisions, and/or thinking about death or ending one's life.
Depression is rough. It can feel like sinking. A significant number of those who struggle never receive even one of the many treatment options (to include EMDR) for depression. But here you are. Reach out today for help.
back to all treatments
Anxiety is the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder. Nearly 20% of the population struggles with anxiety.
About half of those who are diagnosed with depressive disorders are also diagnosed with anxiety disorders. And like depression, anxiety can seem to hijack our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Treatment can help.
Sometimes, anxiety can be a good thing. A small increase in stress can alert us to danger, help us consider all potential risks in decision-making, and motivate us to change. In moderation, anxiety can be very useful. However, the silver-lining of anxiety disappears when fear, worry, and apprehension become excessive and oppressive. A nervous system that was intended to operate for short periods of time can remain activated for extended periods of time. Its exhausting. It takes a lot out of us.
And there's so much that can be done (including EMDR) to help restore equilibrium to your life and to your nervous system. Know that you are empowered to heal. Call for a consultation.
WORK WITH Suzie
Traditional (weekly, biweekly) EMDR rates are $265/60 minute diagnostic assessment and $185/50 minute individual psychotherapy session.
Reach out to discuss investment options for EMDR Intensives.
I do not bill insurance for many reasons. Private paying in lieu of using insurance benefits ensures the utmost discretion and privacy where medical records are concerned. Also, it ensures that treatment options and durations are not limited by the restrictions imposed by insurance companies. I accept FSA/HSA cards for payment in addition to traditional credit cards.
During onboarding, you’ll receive a written “Good Faith Estimate,” which explains the cost of your mental health treatment. This notification is a requirement of the “No Surprises Act.” For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
@warmmilkandhoneyhealing