About Suzette
I believe we are born with the need to connect with another human being and this connection is essential to our survival. I also believe we should never have to face our life's struggles alone. I feel deeply honored and have a tremendous amount of respect for every family who walks through my door and allows me to partake in their healing journey. Through a collaborative process I have successfully worked with children and families to; strengthen skills already possessed, develop new ones, offer new perspectives, and connect to community resources to support them in meeting their goals.
As a part of the collaborative process I do not consider issues inherent to the individual. I see them as a whole human being with wide variety of needs that are important to health and well-being. This includes but is not limited to: social-emotional needs, developmental needs, physical needs, and academic needs. In other words, our social-emotional health impacts our physical health, and our physical health impacts our social-emotional health; they are interconnected. Therefore, it's important that all areas are addressed and supported as needed. What sets my work apart from other therapists is I consider all these aspects of an individual's life in order to see the whole picture. My goal is through a collaborative process with parents, doctors, teachers, occupational therapists, etc., fully understand the issues unique to the child/teen. Then help parents more deeply understand their child's/teen's needs in order to not only support them in developing the necessary skills to cope in the moment, but skills that will maximize their health and well-being far into their future. Parenting is truly one of the hardest experiences and simultaneously one of the most rewarding ones. The more support, tools, and strategies a parent has, the more support, tools, and strategies they can pass down to their child/ren. Hence, having parent only sessions are also imperative to this process to achieve the goals established in therapy.
Trainings/Specialties:
I have training and experience working with infants, children and adolescents, and their parents or caregivers. Common areas of focus include depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, anger management, school refusal, sensory processing disorders, communication skills, parenting, and parent-child relationships. I also have experience working with various systems such as DSHS/CPS, foster care/adoption, various health care providers, and schools. When needed, I work collaboratively with those systems to advocate for my clients and ensure they get the support needed.
I am trained in various evidence based therapies including: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; which helps people process and heal from trauma in a relatively quick manner. I have been trained in Incredible Years; a parenting class that helps caregivers increase parenting skills, learn about child development, and ways to strengthen the parent-child relationship. I also have completed training in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy; which teaches parents therapeutic skills to address various childhood behavioral problems in the context of play.
Additionally, I have been training and working in the field of Infant Mental Health since 2011. I work with infants (birth- 5 years old) and their caregivers to support the parent-child relationship, increase communication, and strengthen secure attachment. I utilize interventions in Parent-Child Psychotherapy, Attachment Theory, and Family Systems Theory.
Credentials:
I'm a Washington state Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT: LF60417407). I have an additional credential as a Child Mental Health Specialist (CMHS).
Education:
Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology and Family Studies, Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA 2008
Master's of Arts in Psychology specializing in Couple & Family Therapy, Antioch University Seattle,WA 2011
