About Dr. Susan

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Dr. Susan’s professional and personal life experience prompted the creation of Nature’s Oak Wellness Center.  This is a center that promotes Integrative Mental Health which incorporates traditional and holistic methods to health.  Realizing that optimal emotional health must include living life with the awareness and attention to over all health.  Dr. Susan provides a natural setting for you to connect, learn how to find your own resources, and the many ways nature can be used to your improve health.  She believes that we are taught to look out side of ourselves to feel better when the answers are right with-in us.  We need to learn how to see, tap into, and use what we already possess.  Dr. Susan, and her carefully selected affiliates, are here to assist you enlist services.

Dr. Susan has a well-established, integrative psychotherapy private practice in Tampa, Florida. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MH-2945) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MT-1837) with over 25 years in the Mental Health Counseling Field. She practices individual, group, and couple and family therapy, bringing comprehensive services for emotional/brain health. She recognizes that optimal wellness requires attention to the mind, body, spiritual, and social aspects of one’s life. 

Dr. Susan has been working as a therapist since 1986 in a variety of settings. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling, and a Doctorate degree in Social and Systemic Studies for Marriage and Family Therapy. In addition to private practice, her counseling experience consists of working with children, adolescents, and adults in residential and intensive outpatient psychiatric and chemical dependency programs in clinical and supervisory positions. She is the former owner of Nature's Oak Wellness Center. Currently, her dog, Owen, accompanies her in counseling sessions for the comfort of her clients and to give Owen a purpose.

During the span of her career, she has worked as an Adjunct College Professor, and has developed and presented several seminars on topics such as: Parenting, Stress Management, Domestic Violence, Relationship Enhancement, Postpartum Mood Disorders, Family Business, Alcohol, and Drug abuse. She has special training in trauma treatment, Heartmath and has taught Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Classes.

On the personal front, Dr. Susan has been married since 1992 and has raised 2 children, which has given her real life experience with parenting and family development. Sadly, since the passing of her 19-year-old son, she now has real life experience with child loss as well. This has compelled her to expand her knowledge into the area of traumatic grief and use this tragic experience to help others facing such horrific losses of loved ones. Having healed from many past difficult life experiences herself, she is better able to understand and empathize with the problems of others. She has taken her life experience and used them to grow and help her clients. 

She prioritizes living a balanced life style that includes exercise, healthy eating, non-dogmatic spirituality, hobbies, friends, family, job, she enjoys outdoor activities, reading, and animals.

Credentials

• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
• B.A. in Psychology
• M.A. in Guidance and Counseling
• Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy
• Certified Heart-Math Clinician
• Certified Postpartum Mood Disorders (Postpartum international)
• RRT - Rapid Resolution Therapy Practitioner
• Certified Life Coach
• Certified Instructor for Mindful Based Stress Reduction
• ART -Accelerated Resolution Therapy Practitioner
• Retired State Registered Supervisor for Licensing Master Level Interns