Imagine a life where anxiety no longer holds you back. You feel empowered, with a balanced approach to handling your emotions, including your deepest sorrows. Whether you're facing recent chaos or lifelong challenges, I'm here to help you find the best tools to move forward. I'm Suzanne, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Pennsylvania with 30 years of experience in mental health. I specialize in guiding individuals through trauma, grief, anxiety, and chronic stress. My approach is rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and I'm certified in EMDR and Cognitive Processing Therapy for treating trauma. I bring my experience in hospice and medical settings to offer compassionate, tailored strategies for anxiety, depression, stress management, life changes, grief, and trauma. I have a special interest in health anxiety, caregiver burnout, and traumatic grief. My goal is to collaboratively navigate these challenges with you, using a variety of trauma-informed, somatic, and holistic approaches.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In your first session we'll explore what you hope to gain in therapy. I'll ask questions to better understand your needs and strengths and explain my treatment approaches. You'll be able to ask questions to help you understand what to expect in follow up sessions. Together we'll map initial treatment goals and I'll make recommendations on ways we can begin moving toward what matters most to you. I will work with you to provide practical strategies and skills from day one so you can leave the session with a sense of moving forward. Our initial conversations will be focused on gaining an understanding of what's happened to bring you to this point in your life, but it won't be necessary for you to share deeply about hurts and trauma until you feel safe and ready.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I use skills tailored to your individual needs that are practical for your real-life situations. I use metaphors, stories, and psychoeducation to bring a genuine approach with relatable situations into our work. I love teaching clients how our brains and nervous system function to help them begin to understand and manage experiences such as anxiety, panic, trauma or grief more effectively. I have a passion for working with helping professionals- healthcare workers, educators, caregivers and therapists- taking the time to meet their own needs.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I most often work with people struggling with grief and loss, trauma or coping with life transitions. I work with caregivers and individuals finding their way through changes in their lives whether that be from death, illness or a new stage of life like the 'empty nest'. I incorporate strategies to improve sleep or eliminate emotional eating when to help you get unstuck.-we'll create a plan together to meet your needs. If you feel open to having a safe space to unload and process while moving toward a new chapter, I look forward to connecting with you.
About Suzanne Rutkowski, LCSW, EMDR Certified
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I build my practice around ACT which is a therapy model promoting mindfulness, skill building to guide you on effective ways to manage distress, and learning how to respond to life's challenges in a way that moves you toward what matters most to you. It's very helpful for anxiety, depression, managing stress and many of the psychological challenges humans face. In sessions we may practice skills to help you be open to the present moment, center yourself to regulate emotions and explore your own values to support your short and long term goals.
EMDR
I am certified in EMDR which is a valuable treatment for PTSD, trauma experiences, panic and phobias. EMDR is backed by research and used to reprocess traumatic memories and events so that your mind and body can adapt to the event as a past event, not something you continue to re-experience in a highly distressing way today. It begins with a thorough assessment, preparation for reprocessing to build resources and support your understanding of your nervous system and how to manage distress.
Grief Therapy
I have experience in supporting individuals through the challenges of loss and bereavement. Much of my experience comes from prior work as a hospice social worker. I am familiar with the unique nature of each person's grief and tailor my approach to each person's specific needs while assisting in navigating the challenges of life while overwhelmed in realities of death. When grief is particularly challenging, I am able to utilize my experience in working with trauma and PTSD to address the complexities of traumatic bereavement.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i)
I am trained in CBT-I and use this method to address sleep issues which may be related to additional challenges people are struggling with such as anxiety, depression, grief and trauma. CBT-I starts with education on sleep, identifying common areas that impact restful sleep and teaching clients practical strategies to promote health sleep cycles.