Solstice East is excited to welcome Susan Elaine to our talented clinical team! With over twenty years of experience with adolescents, Susan excels at working with complex family systems and trauma related to eating disorders. Susan's focus has been on the interactive dynamics between familial, social, cultural, and individual influences that contribute to the development of disordered eating behaviors in adolescents and young women. Of particular importance and focus in her work, are the development of self-awareness and self-trust, empowerment, and identity development in the years between pre-adolescence and young adulthood. With the addition of Susan to the Solstice East family, we are able to offer even more in-depth groups aiding in recovering from eating disorders and improving body image.
Susan Elaine completed her B.A. degree in Psychology/Sociology at Emory and Henry College, Emory, Va. After several happy years as a stay-at-home parent, she completed her Masters of Education degree, with a specialty in Marriage and Family Therapy, at East Tennessee State University, in Johnson City, Tn. Her training, in the interaction between individuals and systems, led her to identify a therapeutic gap in the unique developmental needs of adolescent girls and young women. After completing licensure as a marriage and family therapist, she focused her training and her passion on issues particular to adolescent girls, including disordered eating, body dysmorphia, trauma, and self-harm. She worked in a service-based counseling center, a private practice, and most recently in the Dept. of Psychiatry at the Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City. She co-founded an eating disorder coalition in N.E. Tennessee, and created an eating disorder resource and provider network in her region.
As a woman, daughter, sister, and mother, Susan believes in the intuitive power of the female spirit. She recognizes the power of healing, within a safe, trusting, and compassionate relationship, and deeply values the role of connectedness and mutual support. She remains committed to the valuable work of empowering girls and women within the sacred context of the healing journey.
Contact Susan at:
Susan Elaine, M.Ed., LMFT
Solstice East Primary Therapist
828-484-9928 selaine@solsticeeast.com
Please come and visit us the next time you are in the Asheville area, or contact us directly and we'd be delighted to coordinate a tour for you. We'd love to have you visit!
Warmly,
Sharon Findlay
Solstice Eastis a clinically sophisticated residential treatment center for girls between the ages of 14 and 18.