SUASAN ALEXANDER CLINICAL COUNSELLING/YOGA
REGISTERED CLINICAL COUNSELLING, YOGA, MINDFULNESS
Clinical Counseling/Therapy/Yoga/Mindfulness
I am a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Registered BC Clinical Counselor dedicated to working with individuals, families and young adults who are experiencing a range of emotional and behavioral concerns. Through client-centered sessions I offer a practice that deeply focuses on a myriad of issues including, anxiety, PTSD, depression, parenting,
trauma, challenges with transitions in life stages, as well as finding purpose and searching for greater meaning and happiness.
I seek to provide a space that is safe and supportive, where one can connect to and experience their deepest self, be listened to and validated. My approach is compassionate, interactive, warm and collaborative. My therapeutic work is drawn from a variety of modalities and practices that incorporate mindfulness, guided imagery, experiential, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, (CBT), Internal family Systems (IFS), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), EMDR and trauma informed. Clients also may draw from somatic awareness strategies inspired from my many years as a yoga practitioner and teacher.
With experience working in a number of different settings including private, hospital, the public and private schools and in County clinics I have familiarity with all age groups and skilled at modeling positive communication. My aim is help people establish good boundaries, foster relaxation and self –regulation, breed self esteem, uncover strengths and use the body as vehicle to discover ease and the qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, wisdom, truth and forgiveness.
I look forward to the opportunity of being present with you in your journey. If you work with me, we'll look at your personal, family and cultural history, and the beliefs you hold about yourself and the world. We’ll look at broader patterns in your life. As we observe emotional patterns that feel fixed right now, you may begin to envision new ways of relating to the world. Therapy can help us evolve beyond our habitual ways of being and into present moment with greater ease and freedom.
YOGA
INSPIRING EASE IN BREATH, MOVEMENT, STILLNESS
Susan began her yoga practice some 30 years ago as a means to alleviate pain from her professional sports and dance life-style. (she was a member of Canada’s National Lightweight Women’s Rowing team from 1982-85) Having completed a BA from UBC she went on to study modern dance, supplementing her studies with income as a personal coach/ trainer. She completed her Yoga Teachers training with Godfrey Devereux in Ibiza, Spain in 2001. She completed her E-500RYT in Meditation, Mindfulness and Yoga with Janice Gates, Jill Sattersfield and Anne Cushman in San Francisco,CA and with Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Susan has taught in Hawaii, Marin County, CA,Palm Desert,Palm Springs, CA, Salt Spring Island and Vancouver, BC,
Regular yoga practice promotes a deeper connection to the physical body, (greater flexibility, strength, joint mobility, muscular tone, bone density, heart and better organ function, increase in immune function…) Beyond physical exercise, yoga practice is a process of anchoring the mind in the body and with the breath; pausing or turning off the minds “automatic pilot”, creating a connection to ease in stillness, or an opening of the heart to one’s deeper intentions and to core values. This practice of mindfulness supports our ability to live and be present in the moment to moment of our life unfolding. It is her belief that the regular practice of yoga with mindfulness truly supports our ability to meet with the various challenges that we all face in life whether mental or physical.
Susan has had the good fortune to learn from many varied and wonderful teachers both in Vancouver, the U.S. and Europe: Godfrey Devereux, John Friend, Martin Kirk, Richard Miller, Tias Little, Jill Satersfield, Anne Cushman, Janice Gates and Jill Sattersfield. Buddhist teachers, Jack Kornfield, Howie Cohn, Heather Martin, Donald Rothberg, Anna Douglas, Mark Coleman and Phillip Moffitt. She is also blessed and inspired by her many students. She teaches classes of yoga and mindfulness at secondary schools, corporations, seniors care facilities, medical and family service settings, office 's, private homes and colleges to seniors, teens and adults of all ages and abilities. She has been able to resolve and support those dealing with anxiety, depression, addiction, big and small T trauma,chronic pain, PTSD, postpartum depression, cancer, MS and osteoarthritis. As well, she has been asked to develop athletic based and mindfulness-based programs for pre-teen and teens in the school system. She maintains a private practice of clinical counseling/psychotherapy, yoga therapy, massage and mindfulness based mentoring both in the private and public (speaker at conferences) sphere. She has completed Spirit Rock Meditations Centers 18 month Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness Training Program and has a Masters Degree in Integral Counseling Psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who worked with transitional age youth (16-26yrs) in Palm Desert and in private practice. She currently practices in Vancouver, BC as a Registered Clinical Counselor and maintains her California clients monthly in person in the Palm Desert area and with Telehealth phone or video conferencing, sessions as needed. Susan is a registered Yoga Alliance member at the E-500hr RYT in Mindful Yoga and Meditation.
MINI PRACTICE: STOP ; SIT, MOVE,
BREATH, NOTICE WHATS TRUE and ALIVE
REST, NOTICE YOUR BODY, ANY
EFFECTS AND STAY WITH YOUR BREATH, SENSATION or SOUND
CONCENTRATION
BALANCE
PLAY
CONSCIOUS REST, FULL AWARENESS