About Susan
Sustainable Health & Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Medical care has become unaffordable for many people and it's dependence on high technology makes it unsustainable both in cost containment and also for the environment. I first developed an interest in healing traditions based on natural law and the study of the elements while living in Tucson, Arizona. Most indigenous healers work within oral traditions which keeps that information available within the culture. Traditional Chinese Medicine has 2500 years of written documentation and continues to build and refine itself based on observation and practice (i.e. science). Learning qigong practice and 5 Element Theory from Grandmaster Nan Lu, OMD, provided me with a reliable compass for understanding healing from this perspective. I use it daily in my own life and in the ways I work with others.
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Integrative Nutrition
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I believe food needs to be delicious, nutritious and enjoyable for all of our senses. I was lucky to grow up in a home where my family enjoyed both eating and cooking, but learned that wasn't true for everyone. In 2009 I studied at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City. I was able to take that love of food, and the knowledge gained at IIN and turn it into classes for therapists, educators, and nutrition professionals struggling with children who have limited food choices.
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Occupational Therapy
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I studied occupational therapy at Boston Univerity's Sargent College which provided me with conventional medical approaches to orthopedic, neurological, developmental, and psychiatric diagnoses. During the following four decades I worked as an occupational therapist in psychatric hospitals, physical rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, and schools. I most enjoyed running my own play-based clinic in Tucson, AZ.
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My Spiritual Beliefs
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I was raised by a parents who had a deep spiritual connection to the natural world. Interest in Feminist Spirituality and indigenous healing traditions and brought me to Harvard Divinity School for in-depth study of spiritual healing rituals and traditions. I have collected detailed accounts of healing rituals from a wide variety of healing traditions over the course of my life. I enjoy learning how healers combine movement, symbols, nature, herbs, foods, and scents in their work and from these studies I customize healing rituals for clients, friends, and family. I have also spent time in mainstream Christian traditions of Catholicism and Methodism. I am an ordained Unitarian Universalist Minister.
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