Susan K. Campbell, PhD

I am a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of experience partnering with individuals and organizations to foster self-awareness, resilience, and positive change. Over the course of my career I have worked in academic, clinical, forensic and non-profit settings as a professor, clinician and evaluator, trainer, and executive. I have led individuals, organizations and multidisciplinary teams through periods of profound change, and it’s always a wonderful privilege and learning experience to partner on that journey.

In my clinical practice, I enjoy and have significant experience working with children and adults dealing with issues like ADHD, anxiety and mood disorders.  I also work with those needing support through normal adjustment challenges inherent in life cycle transitions, such as moves, school changes, divorce, empty nest, and caring for aging parents. 

I use a research-informed, engaged and eclectic approach, tailored around the strengths and issues that clients bring to my office. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness approaches are core components of my practice. Engaging compassion and curiosity around the ways we make meaning of our experiences is a gateway to understanding, and provides the opportunity for shifts in self-awareness, perspective and behavior that can be transformative. 

In my coaching practice, I am particularly interested in helping individuals and organizations identify and connect to their values, and to the behaviors and experiences at work and in relationships that support those values.  Distance or disconnection from core values and purpose is often at the root of the compromised functioning that leads people to seek individual coaching or workshops for their teams. Becoming clear on what is important to you provides great direction around what needs to change to enhance your satisfaction, fulfillment, and productivity at home and work. When we live, love, parent and lead from a truly authentic place, our communities thrive with the collective diversity of our individual gifts.

Why Sunflowers?

Many years ago, in an amazing period between completing my doctoral coursework in clinical psychology and going on a year-long internship, I spent 5 months in the Provence region of southern France. I was captivated by the beauty of the “tournesol” (French for sunflower; literally “turning toward the sun”), and what I learned about them offers a perfect metaphor for human resilience. 

Curiosity around resilience is where my interest in psychology began over 30 years ago. Understanding what factors contribute to our ability to move through change, difficulty, illness and trauma well, and what inhibits that, has been the focus of my professional career in every domain in which I’ve worked. It’s important to me that the relationship aspects of my work are informed by the science around what is effective in maximizing health.

Energy-seeking, flexible, adaptable people and organizations thrive. In my practice, we work together to identify and understand areas of vulnerability and strength. We look at what’s fueling behaviors, explore ways to maximize what’s nourishing and think about what needs pruning in order for healthy growth to occur. Sometimes that requires new skills, sometimes it’s just more care and feeding of what you already possess.