Susan seeks to create a warm, accepting and safe environment for each person she sees in therapy. She approaches whatever topics or situations people raise with curiosity, compassion and a desire to explore them together in ways that open up space to move forward.

She works with people to develop a personalized plan to meet their needs, which often looks like collaboratively developing strategies and solutions to make changes. It might also include making space to process past experiences, including traumas and relationships, in ways that helps make sense of them, reduces their negative impact and promotes resilience, growth and healing. She seeks to integrate events and change on various levels, including the emotional, cognitive, behavioural, spiritual and relational aspects of people’s experiences.

In individual, couple or family sessions, Susan helps people envision and develop the futures and the relationships they are longing for. She collaborates with couples and families to identify interaction patterns that are causing problems and replace them with patterns of healthy interactions that address the longings, fears and needs of each person.

Susan brings a lens of sociocultural awareness, attending to diversity and social justice issues and to the complexity of our identities and intersections in our lived experiences. She works from an affirming, anti-oppressive and trauma-informed lens to address experiences of marginalization and imbalances of power and to advocate for change. Susan works with folks from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and sexual and gender identities. In her own personal work, she seeks to expand her awareness of her own social locations, blind spots and internalized biases.

Susan works with and learns from clients bringing a wide range of topics, including abuse, anger, anxiety, conflict, depression, identity issues, living well with a mental health diagnosis, relationship issues, stress and trauma. Her work draws from several models of therapy, and she tailors her approach to build on the strengths and resources of each client. Her favourite models include Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and Attachment Therapies such as Emotionally Focused Therapy.

Susan completed her undergraduate degree at Redeemer University and a Master’s Degree in counselling psychology at McGill University. She is a registered marriage and family therapist and approved supervisor with the Canadian Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (CAMFT). Susan is also a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and a Registered Social Worker with the Ontario College of Social Worker and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). She is a certified Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) couple therapist.

Susan offers clinical supervision for therapists working toward their CRPO or CAMFT certifications or other professional designations, as well as supervision mentoring for new supervisors.

When not working, Susan loves reading, photography, and playing games with her family.