Susan E. Goodman, LCSW
" Hope is the dream of a soul awake."
FrenchProverb
Everyone carries the desire to feel connected and loved. We are not so different in matters of the heart. I am a psychotherapist with over 28 years of experience working collaboratively with people of all ages, from very young children to adults. A core focus of my work is with parents. I enjoy working with tweens, teens and young adults on identity and relationship issues, family conflict, school pressures, perfectionism, anxiety, depression, motivation and self-esteem, supporting the development of healthy judgement around use of technology and social media, and developing a wider repertoire of skills for challenging social situations.
Choosing a therapist, whether it be for a child, teen or yourself, can be daunting. I am trained and certified in many different approaches, which allows for flexibility in tailoring work to meet an individual or family's unique needs and circumstances. Here, you can learn more about my clinical training and areas of expertise.
Services
Play Therapy and Individual Developmental Psychotherapy
Play is the way young children speak to us about their worries and their wishes; challenges in relationships at home and school and how they see themselves. When seeing children I find the best outcomes are when parents are included in the overall structure of treatment and we work collaboratively to meet the developmental needs of your child..
Tweens, Teens
The teen years are a time of the lowest levels of serotonin in the human brain during life, leaving adolescents more susceptible to feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Often, its very soothing to have a neutral person they can turn to for support, a trusted ally and a safe space in which to feel, think and reflect as they develop greater self awareness and ability to consider different points of view
Young Adults
“Our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude.”
― Viktor E. Frankl
Choosing to begin psychotherapy is courageous. A core goal is to live in ways we deeply long to, uncover what gets in the way and realize our wishes with clearer intention and purpose. Exploring current life choices, identifying unresolved emotional issues, and old, habitual ways of relating, empowers young adults to take steps towards creating an independent, self-sustaining life for themselves. We can bring light to and shift unhelpful behaviors and relationship patterns to find clarity around questions of identity, summoning energy, purpose and direction.
Parent Work
Whether the work is with parents in the context of their child’s treatment, or parent counseling without a child in treatment, we focus on understanding what is behind a child’s behaviors and how your own beliefs and experiences influence parenting. We may create a space to explore your values and goals for raising children.
Individual Adult
I think people come to therapy with a purpose: To realize certain hopes, and address pressing obstacles. I view psychotherapy as a dynamic collaboration around that purpose.
While I draw on many different approaches, trainings and techniques, I am most informed by developmental theory, practice and extensive experience working with people across the life span. Often our work includes integrating key developmental learnings that may have been lost or never mastered along the road. Common issues include self-esteem, all forms of loss, and relationship conflicts, transitions and struggles with loss of meaning that might show up in depression and anxiety.