Andrea Sussel, MSS
Parent Coach & Transition Specialist
Whether you are struggling with a transition or contemplating moving into one, I will bring my commitment, integrity and experience to that professional encounter and guide you through and help you build the confidence and skill sets to feel more empowered as a parent.
Asking for help often takes courage, and being willing to learn from your child's struggle, takes setting aside our parental ego in the name of knowing it's ok to not know all the answers. To be brave enough to take a close look at what we as parents can change in the service of a healthier family system is very well worth the discomfort it often brings.
I am a MSS graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, and hold a BS in Health and Physical Education from Penn State University. My advanced training is as a Certified Gestalt Therapist and I have co-led trainings at The Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. I was recently featured in the award-winning documentary Fire and Sand about the Volcano relief efforts on Hawaii Island, where I served as a Red Cross volunteer.
Whether you are struggling with a transition or contemplating moving into one, I will bring my commitment, integrity and experience to that professional encounter.
I have worked with individuals, couples and families in a variety of setting - most recently in a highly regarded wilderness therapy program on Hawaii Island.
My almost-30-year-old son has been my biggest teacher, and I often tell him so. He typically responds by saying: "Really mom"? "Yes," I reply, "Because to raise you has required that I let go of how I thought things should or would be, and to dare to accept, let go, and love you as you are becoming, and to rise up within myself and be the most authentic, adventurous, mature and vulnerable human I can be."
Andrea was exactly what my husband and I needed during the transition of our son back home after residential treatment. She was supportive and compassionate during a time when we were constantly questioning our parenting, but she also wasn’t afraid to ask us hard questions and challenge us to do things differently. We have had many family therapists, but Andrea was by far the best. She helped us identify and blend our unique individual strengths and limitations to become a more effective parenting team. Our sessions with her always replenished us; after meeting with Andrea, we felt better prepared emotionally and practically to tackle the daily challenges of parenting a difficult teenager.
— Parent