Imagine living a life where anxiety no longer takes the lead—where you feel steady, grounded, and able to navigate even the hardest emotions with confidence. Whether you're facing recent upheaval or carrying the weight of long-standing struggles, together we’ll discover tools that support your journey toward healing and clarity. 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. 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.
My background in hospice and medical settings has shaped the compassionate, personalized care I offer. I support clients navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, grief, and trauma—with a special focus on health anxiety, caregiver burnout, and traumatic loss. Together, we'll explore trauma-informed, somatic, and holistic approaches that support your healing.
About Suzanne Rutkowski
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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 EMDR certified to help people process past trauma, panic, or distressing memories so they no longer feel overwhelming. EMDR works by helping your brain reprocess difficult experiences, so they feel like part of the past instead of something you're still stuck in. Before starting reprocessing, we build a strong foundation—helping you understand your nervous system, strengthen coping tools, and feel ready to move forward. My goal is to make the healing process feel safe, clear, and effective.
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.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
I also blend attachment theory and Internal Family Systems (IFS) into my work. This means we explore how early relationships and different parts of yourself influence the way you handle emotions and stress today.