Dr. Susan Simonds ("Sigh-monds").
Please call me Susan or Dr. Susan.
Please call me Susan or Dr. Susan.
MY CREDENTIALS
Licensed to practice psychology in Idaho and Washington
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
M.A. - Masters of Arts Degree in Psychology
M.C.A.T - Masters Degree in Creative Arts in Psychotherapy
Certified Therapist & Certified Supervisor in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Certified Brand Strategist
MY EXPERIENCE
Over 30 years in the mental health field, including:
Psychologist, Washington State University Counseling Center
Psychologist, University of Washington Medical School
Psychologist, University of Idaho Student Counseling Center
Director, The Women's Counseling Center at the Horsham Clinic
I have trained & supervised therapists & provided consultations for many years.
Author of professional books & articles:
Bridging the Silence: Nonverbal Modalities in the Treatment of Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (W.W. Norton) & Depression and Women: An Integrative Treatment Approach (Springer).
Author of numerous articles, including many on Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.
Presenter & Teacher:
I have presented numerous workshops, trainings & seminars for healthcare professionals & the general public.
MY JOURNEY
My career has followed a rather crooked trail. My working life began at age 15, when I waitressed every weekend of my high school years and all through undergraduate school. I began studying Chinese language in high school and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with distinction in my major, Chinese language & literature. After graduation, my first job was as a legal advocate for Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. After 5 years, I became frustrated by not being recognized for my achievements (see Shadis v. Beal) and I realized that the legal world was not my place.
Forced to look for a new direction. I then happened upon the Humanistic Therapy Movement in California. I returned to school to catch up by taking the undergraduate courses I needed to be accepted in graduate school. In my first clinical placement, I worked at a women's counseling center & was asked to come up with a group activity for their program. Having been a life-long dancer, I started a women's movement group. I saw the changes that the women were making in their therapy reflected in their movements in my group and believed I had stumbled upon a new form of healing through movement. Fate led me to read a magazine article describing the new profession of Dance/Movement Therapy. I was surprised & delighted to discover that one of the best graduate programs in the country was in Philly, where I was living. I had amazing training, earning my Masters in Creative Arts in Psychotherapy at Hahnemann (now Drexel) University.
My dream was then born to become a teacher and healer, combining creative arts therapies (dance, art & music therapy), humanistic therapy, storytelling, yoga, meditation, and Chinese philosophy. The reality of needing to make a living to support myself led me down a different path. I worked full time at a psychiatric hospital, creating inpatient & outpatient programs for sexual trauma survivors, while at the same time earning my doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara, California, the first distance degree program accredited by the American Psychological Association. I worked in Community Mental Health Centers, State Hospitals, private hospitals, university counseling centers, medical schools, and independent practice. The time has now come to follow my dream.
I have travelled all over the world, spending most of my travels in Asia. I bicycled through China when it first opened to Americans and I have lived in Nepal, trekking for weeks in the Himalayan Mountains long before there were hotels or even any indoor plumbing. My husband, a Psychology Professor at Washington State University, does research with a professor at the University of the Balearic Islands in Spain, allowing us to live in Spain for a month at a time. I grew up on the East Coast and made the courageous decision to leave everyone and everything I knew to move to Idaho for my true love. I live on the side of a mountain in Moscow, Idaho, a rural university town. Seattle is my second home. I enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, yoga, taking photographs, cooking, eating, music, & conversation with friends and family.
Licensed to practice psychology in Idaho and Washington
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
M.A. - Masters of Arts Degree in Psychology
M.C.A.T - Masters Degree in Creative Arts in Psychotherapy
Certified Therapist & Certified Supervisor in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Certified Brand Strategist
MY EXPERIENCE
Over 30 years in the mental health field, including:
Psychologist, Washington State University Counseling Center
Psychologist, University of Washington Medical School
Psychologist, University of Idaho Student Counseling Center
Director, The Women's Counseling Center at the Horsham Clinic
I have trained & supervised therapists & provided consultations for many years.
Author of professional books & articles:
Bridging the Silence: Nonverbal Modalities in the Treatment of Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (W.W. Norton) & Depression and Women: An Integrative Treatment Approach (Springer).
Author of numerous articles, including many on Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.
Presenter & Teacher:
I have presented numerous workshops, trainings & seminars for healthcare professionals & the general public.
MY JOURNEY
My career has followed a rather crooked trail. My working life began at age 15, when I waitressed every weekend of my high school years and all through undergraduate school. I began studying Chinese language in high school and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with distinction in my major, Chinese language & literature. After graduation, my first job was as a legal advocate for Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. After 5 years, I became frustrated by not being recognized for my achievements (see Shadis v. Beal) and I realized that the legal world was not my place.
Forced to look for a new direction. I then happened upon the Humanistic Therapy Movement in California. I returned to school to catch up by taking the undergraduate courses I needed to be accepted in graduate school. In my first clinical placement, I worked at a women's counseling center & was asked to come up with a group activity for their program. Having been a life-long dancer, I started a women's movement group. I saw the changes that the women were making in their therapy reflected in their movements in my group and believed I had stumbled upon a new form of healing through movement. Fate led me to read a magazine article describing the new profession of Dance/Movement Therapy. I was surprised & delighted to discover that one of the best graduate programs in the country was in Philly, where I was living. I had amazing training, earning my Masters in Creative Arts in Psychotherapy at Hahnemann (now Drexel) University.
My dream was then born to become a teacher and healer, combining creative arts therapies (dance, art & music therapy), humanistic therapy, storytelling, yoga, meditation, and Chinese philosophy. The reality of needing to make a living to support myself led me down a different path. I worked full time at a psychiatric hospital, creating inpatient & outpatient programs for sexual trauma survivors, while at the same time earning my doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara, California, the first distance degree program accredited by the American Psychological Association. I worked in Community Mental Health Centers, State Hospitals, private hospitals, university counseling centers, medical schools, and independent practice. The time has now come to follow my dream.
I have travelled all over the world, spending most of my travels in Asia. I bicycled through China when it first opened to Americans and I have lived in Nepal, trekking for weeks in the Himalayan Mountains long before there were hotels or even any indoor plumbing. My husband, a Psychology Professor at Washington State University, does research with a professor at the University of the Balearic Islands in Spain, allowing us to live in Spain for a month at a time. I grew up on the East Coast and made the courageous decision to leave everyone and everything I knew to move to Idaho for my true love. I live on the side of a mountain in Moscow, Idaho, a rural university town. Seattle is my second home. I enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, yoga, taking photographs, cooking, eating, music, & conversation with friends and family.
| Dr. Simonds Vitae |
Emily Fallin-Farnes, BFA
Director of Design, Digital & Events
Director of Design, Digital & Events
|
Ms. Emily Fallon-Farnes is a Studio Artist and Events Coordinator, whose design work is widely known locally. In addition to her design work, she is Co-Director of Outreach for the LGBTQIA Community at Lewiston (Idaho) High School.
|
|
Emily is a logistics and design genius. She also has a band and recording studio with her husband. She will be co-facilitating the Women's Mini-Retreats and making sure that everything runs smoothly.
|
Copyright © 2022 Susan L. Simonds, Ph.D.
Kickass Wiseheart Wellness® is a registered trademark.