I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in Arizona since 2008. I specialize in assisting individuals coping with depression, anxiety, self esteem, chronic medical illness, caregiver stress and burnout, and life transitions. My client are inviting me to walk alongside them and my goal is to enhance my client's ability to navigate the path of life in a way that serves their future self best! I assist my clients in removing the boulders and rocks which get in the way and help them gain skills so the path they walk becomes easier to navigate.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
Our first session will be conversational in nature with the hope that at the end of the session, we have identified the specific concerns that have brought you to therapy and what our goals will be moving forward. I typically inquire about your previous experience with therapy as well as learn about your life history. By the end of our first session, we will have zeroed in on your primary concern (what you want to work on) and develop goals to assist you in moving forward. Last but not least, since my clients invite me to walk alongside them in their journey of healing, I typically let clients determine how frequently they want to see me rather then dictate when my clients need to see me.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Its not easy to start therapy and as someone who has been in the other chair, I understand how uncomfortable it can be to open up to stranger. I pride myself in helping clients feel comfortable in the therapy process and I don't just listen but offer tools and skill development to assist in moving forward.
About Suzanne Alexander
Specializes in
Serves ages
Licensed in
Accepts cash
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Many of us are unaware of the "machine" of our brain(auto pilot) and its impact on our mood and daily actions. I use mindfulness based tools with my clients to help them understand how the brain works and how mindfulness based practices can assist in lowering distress, improving mood, and enhancing self compassion in this thing we call life.
Psychoeducation
As a wonderful colleague and nurse in cancer care once told me, human beings do better when we understand why we are doing something. I share the science behind the various tools I use with clients in practice. Psychoeducation provides the foundation for change and also provides validation and normalization of our experience.
Compassion Focused
Self compassion is key in making change with oneself. While working with me, we will practice the skill of self compassion. I always say it is enough we suffer with distress whether it be anxiety, depression, grief, insecurity but then we judge ourselves harshly. Once we learn self compassion, we can get down to the nitty and gritty of our suffering and begin to heal!
Attachment-based
Many of our go to coping strategies, ways we think about the world, our ability to be close to others amongst other things were actually developed without our awareness when we were young. Learning about how we were raised and how are parents coped can assist us in understanding our patterns in life better. I will typically inquire about your childhood experience early in therapy as it assists me in understanding who you are today. Having these discussions with clients assists in compassion towards yourself as well as gaining insight into the impact your childhood experience has on your as an adult.