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P
R O F I L E
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 BORN
and raised in northwestern Philadelphia -- Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill, West
Oak Lane and Germantown-- Suzanne went to the Philadelphia High School
for Girls, a magnet high school for "academically talented young women"
from all over the city. After a year at Albright College in Reading, PA,
she got her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Clinical Psychology from
Temple University. Feeling too limited by her own dysfunctional family,
Suzanne left Philadelphia at 25 to begin an odyssey of self- discovery.
She spent the next two years in New York and Boston before heading for
the promise of California, where she finally feels at home. She has worked
as a psychologist and therapist in a psychiatric hospital and halfway houses,
in drug treatment, and private practice. She also teaches classes in surviving
a dysfunctional family, and has taught meditation, human potential and
junior high school.
Suzanne
is an award-winning vocalist and songwriter and performed for ten years
in nightclubs, and at corporate and private parties. As an activist, she
co-founded women Helping All People, a self-help group for women in public
housing, and the Earth Day Every Day Fund, with the Marin Community Foundation.
Her artistic expressions include making collages and jewelry from recycled
materials, and photography.
When
her sister developed schizophrenia, Suzanne experienced so much guilt and
grief that she had to stay away to maintain her own sanity. She struggled
to find meaning in her sister's illness. Eventually it occurred to her
that her sister's spirit must have a purpose in what she was going though.
Even though at the time Suzanne didn't understand what it was, she was
comforted to think of her sister in that way.
During that period, Suzanne worked as a vocalist,
and had the exhilarating honor of singing the National Anthem for the San
Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.
During the day, she wrote mysteries. When she'd written two that hadn't
yet found a home, she still wanted to write, but something different. While
reading "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg, Suzanne was taken
by Natalie's idea of writing in cafes-- she said the noise and bustle occupies
the part of your brain that would normally be telling you your writing
stinks and you'll never amount to anything. She invited a friend to join
her, and they met monthly in different cafes. Choosing a theme of the day,
they'd write and read to each other what they wrote. Suzanne found herself
turning memories from her childhood into fiction, and after a few of those,
her friend declared it the foundation for Suzanne's next book. Suzanne
was surprised, because to her, the stories seemed like simple reminiscences.
But she trusted her friend's literary taste, so she kept writing, fictionalizing
as she went, and the result is Daddy's Girls. Through writing it,
Suzanne came to think of her sister's illness as a challenge in deepening
her capacity to love no matter the circumstances.
Based
on her experience as a therapist and member of a family with mental illness,
Suzanne is currently working on a book called "SURVIVING
A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY: Ten Ways to Make Peace With the Past and Create
a New Future," which includes practical information and exercises
for getting along better with those closest to us while still creating
the life we want. She currently teaches classes and workshops, and counsels
individuals, couples and families on personal, life, and work issues. Since
September 11, Suzanne's focus has broadened to include political and global
dysfunction as reflecting that in a dysfunctional family. |
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RESUMÉ
BACHELORS &
MASTERS DEGREES IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Temple University,
Philadelphia, PA
SPIRITUAL COUNSELOR
Credential of Ministry
from the Universal Life Church
Arica Institute, Learning
and teaching spiritual theory and practices from around the world
WRITER
Weekly Columnist,
United Press International's Religion and Spirituality Forum
Suzanne's short story
"The
Old Russian" was a semi-finalist in Salem College's
Center for Women Writers' 2006 National Literary Awards
Daddy's Girls,
winner of Gold Medal for fiction in ForeWord Magazine's
Book of the Year Awards
Co-author, Being
Yourself: Twenty-Four Ways to See the Light
Two mystery novels,
Kaaterskill
and Cuckoo's Nest
Quoted on LifeTimeTV.com
Outstanding Author
Award from BookReviewCafe.com
Essays/Articles/Short
stories/Opinions in The Sun Magazine, Chrysalis Reader,
San Francisco Chronicle, SF Weekly, Marin Independent Journal,
Wordriot.org, Northern Journeys, Women's Voices, From The Heart
Business Editing,
Public Relations, Grant writing
PSYCHOLOGIST / THERAPIST
Marin Lodge, Woodacre,
CA
Westside Lodge, San
Francisco, CA
Eagleville (PA) Rehabilitation
Center for Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Philadelphia (PA)
State Hospital
EDUCATOR / ACTIVIST
Teacher, St. Mary's
College (Moraga, CA), College of Marin (Kentfield, CA), Tamalpais
District Adult Education (Larkspur, CA), Arica Institute (Boston, MA),
Philadelphia
junior high schools, meditation workshops
Co-producer, Marin
County (CA) Earth Day 1990 Celebration
Co-founder, Earth
Day Every Day Fund at Marin Community Foundation
Co-founder, Women
Helping All People, a grassroots self-help group for women
in public housing
Volunteer at the Marin
City Tenants' Council, Food Project and Community Garden
SINGER / SONGWRITER
Vocalist in nightclubs,
private and corporate parties
Sang the national
anthem for the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park
Recorded at Lucasfilm's
Skywalker Studios
Award as a vocalist
from Music City Song Festival
Songwriting awards
from Billboard Magazine and American Song Festival
Songs played on radio
stations in the Bay Area and New Orleans
ARTISAN
Jewelry and assemblages
from recycled and found materials, shown at Meridian Gallery,
San Francisco; Trash to Treasures, Oakland, CA; Artisans Gallery, Mill
Valley, CA |
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