Susan Patterson, LCSW

Professional Bio

Hi! I’m Susan and I’m a Licenced Clinical Social Worker and psychotherapist. I’m educated and trained as a medical and psychiatric social worker. By choice, I have chosen employment experiences and further education that keeps me current on the intersections of people’s physical and mental health. My experience tends to be in multi-dimensional diagnostics. I’ve worked with clients experiencing a number of different mental health issues, and oftentimes with clients experiencing multiple mental health diagnoses at once. Trauma, grief and loss, and significant anxiety cases are some of the most common issues I help my clients work through.

As a therapist, psycho-education and health education are a significant part of my intervention tool kit. I want my clients to know the Why and How of their situation, as well as potential problem solving choices. It’s important to know that I’m an educator as much as I am a counselor/therapist.When in session with my clients, I love the interactions that take place on so many levels. I love working with people to help them uncover the layers of history in their lives, and help them make changes to live a more enjoyable life in the present. Therapy is intellectually and emotionally challenging. Years into this, I can honestly say that my clients overwhelmingly form the biggest source of inspiration for me. Their courage, tenacity, trust and willingness to open themselves to change make what I do so rewarding.

Back in 1990, I added this already popular saying to my first ever email account signature and it’s still a truism for me: “Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.” It is so very important to live a life that’s filled with “Aha!” moments that make you glad to be alive. Those “aha” moments are what therapy is all about.

As your therapist, I promise to listen, be authentic, and be honest. I promise to share with you what you NEED to hear, not necessarily what you WISH you could hear. I promise to be a very bright light in your darkest places. Therapy can be scary, but you need to know that you’re going to have one up on your monsters – while you kinda slip behind me in the dark therapy tunnel, you’ll be smiling because you know they’re about to meet Miss Susan and YOU know that is not going to end well for them. I never fail to be astonished by the horrible things that happen in this world, but at the same time, I have been shown repeatedly that our capacity for love and empathy is boundless. Love is the most powerful energy that exists, our greatest weapon and asset. It has no limits and is the greatest gift besides life itself. Sadly, we often don’t apply it to ourselves.That, to me, is a core tenet of therapy: Let me help you discover the fact that you are, indeed, lovable.

I believe that therapy can be a normal part of adaptation to any life. Change is inevitable, so why not take instruction in managing it the same way one can take Driver’s Ed to become a more responsible, proficient and proactive driver? One’s life is certainly more important than a car, but can certainly come with many more problems – let’s learn to drive your life better!