Susan Levine, LMHC
Psychotherapy

My Approach

Connection…pleasure…clarity of thought and a quiet mind…a clear sense of self...freedom from despair…loving relationship…creativity….these are qualities that many of us desire yet find difficult to achieve. Instead, we may too frequently find ourselves anxious and depressed, repeating disappointing relationships, or feeling chronically empty or unsure of ourselves.
 
Why is it so hard to feel better? One reason is that when we are young, we unconsciously find ways to protect ourselves from painful emotions, and these protective strategies become habits. As adults, we’re often unaware of these habits because they’re so ingrained in our thoughts, bodies, and behaviors – they just feel like who we are. As we age, these strategies that were once so helpful may no longer be useful and instead they often contribute to current difficulties.

There are a variety of ways to address problems that people bring to therapy, and each person’s therapeutic needs are unique. Together, we will discover what works best for you.
I work with a wide range of issues, including:
  • Development of one’s sense of self
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Fear of emotion, too much emotion, difficulty accessing emotion
  • Relationship and solitude
  • LGBTQ issues
  • Race, class, and gender identity
  • Reclaiming creativity
  • Childhood trauma
  • Religious trauma
  • Grief and loss
I am guided by a variety of theories including:
  • Sensorimotor psychotherapy, which is a talk therapy approach that works with ways early experiences become encoded in our bodies
  • Internal Family Systems, which recognizes that within ourselves reside a variety of perspectives that are sometimes in conflict with each other
  • Feminist therapy, which focuses on how emotional well-being is affected by the power dynamics inherent in the ways our society views race, class, gender, sexual identity, culture, and religious identities
  • Mindfulness, which teaches us skills for paying attention to our inner experiences and supports the practice of calming our minds and soothing our emotions
Information about my office, fees, and insurance can be found here:
"Our symptoms tell the story of how we survived."
– Janina Fisher