About Susan - EMDR Therapy for Trauma and PTSD

MEET SUSAN SIDSWORTH

REGISTERED CLINICAL COUNSELLOR

Hello, my name is Susan Sidsworth and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (#6265) with training in CBT, DBT, psychodynamic and EMDR therapy.

While working in the public health care system as a Clinical Counsellor for 10+ years, I have helped many clients from diverse backgrounds chart a course of resilience and well- being, as they struggled with issues of stress management, anxiety and depression, relationships, parenting and family issues, as well substance abuse and mis- use.
As a counselor I believe we all have negative thought patterns and behaviors that become entrenched and hard to recognize. There are many strategies for changing these negative thoughts and behaviors, and through my practice I look at past trauma and narratives that contributed to these ways of thinking, and help each individual move forward with a different perspective that can lead to more emotional well -being and resilience. I believe that most people have the solutions and answers they need to improve their lives, even if they are not aware of them. My task as a therapist is not to give answers to my clients, but to help each client find their own unique answers within themselves.
I have a passion for working with individuals who are first responders since this is a large part of my personal life. Being married to a first responder and having a family in the context of this, I deeply understand the complexities for the individual who experiences trauma as a daily part of their occupation and the difficulties this can bring for them into their family life.
I have always had a drive to hear people’s unique stories and I believe through the support and willingness to work together, each individual can seek the change they want for themselves, and live an emotionally fulfilled life.

COURAGE

Coming to therapy takes great courage, and in my practice, I like to honor the courage it takes and build on skills to further increase our abilities to navigate the difficult part of our lives. It takes courage to share, discuss, and explore the past difficult moments of our lives. We often cope with life’s past and current difficult moments by trying to forget about it, or suppress it down, which can work in the short term, but eventually in the long term it creates problems for most of us. The courage it takes to step into exploring the difficult parts of ourselves is a journey worth taking and while working together we can develop skills of resilience and self-compassion.

OPTIMISM

I believe that regardless of your disposition, optimism is a value and skill that you can grow. Perhaps in your childhood you had difficult circumstances and learned that seeing things optimistically would only lead to further let downs later? You bring this into adulthood and have become a half empty type of person thinking “ this is just the way you are”. I bring the work of optimism into my practice as optimism has proven to show it improves your emotional well-being, fosters better relationships, and provides protection against adverse events. It can, in many circumstances, lead to better health.