Susan Smith, MA, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor
Internal Family Systems Therapist, Level 1 Trained

EMDR

Individual Therapy

Internal Family Systems Therapy

Child, Teen, and Family Therapy 

Parent Coaching

Specialty Areas

Susan Smith, MA, LPC, is a dedicated and compassionate therapist with over 19 years of experience helping individuals heal from complex trauma, anxiety, and depression. At The Catalyst Center, Susan integrates evidence-based approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to support clients in their journey toward emotional wellness and self-discovery. Her trauma-informed, client-centered approach creates a safe and nurturing space where clients can explore their inner world and develop lasting resilience. Susan is passionate about guiding both adults and children toward greater self-leadership and emotional freedom, empowering them to navigate life’s challenges with confidence and clarity. Through her integrative and holistic methods, Susan helps clients reconnect with themselves and build a foundation for lasting healing and personal growth.

What Clients can Expect

Clients who seek a therapist who offers steady, compassionate support often feel deeply understood and cared for by Susan. Her calm and grounding presence provides a safe environment where clients can process even the most painful emotions without fear of judgment. Susan meets clients exactly where they are, allowing the healing process to unfold naturally at a pace that feels comfortable. She gently guides clients through their struggles, offering insight and support while empowering them to make meaningful changes. Susan’s warm and empathetic approach encourages clients to explore their inner experiences, fostering a sense of safety and trust that is essential for deep, transformative healing.

Trauma Healing with Internal Family Systems Therapy

burnout, compassion fatigue, emotional burnoutSusan Smith specializes in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, a transformative, evidence-based approach that helps clients heal by understanding and harmonizing their internal world. IFS views the mind as composed of different parts, each with its own emotions, thoughts, and roles. Susan guides clients in connecting with their core Self—a compassionate, calm, and confident inner leader—to better understand and heal wounded parts of themselves. This gentle and empowering process allows clients to release self-criticism, heal emotional pain, and cultivate greater self-compassion and balance. IFS therapy with Susan provides a path toward deeper self-awareness, emotional resilience, and authentic personal growth.

Integrative EMDR for Trauma Healing

Highly skilled in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, Susan Smith incorporates this evidence-based approach to help clients process and heal from trauma, anxiety, and distressing life experiences. Susan thoughtfully integrates EMDR with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Sand Tray Therapy, offering a deeply personalized and creative approach to healing. This combination allows clients to safely revisit painful memories and reprocess them in a way that reduces their emotional intensity while fostering self-compassion and inner balance. By blending EMDR with these complementary methods, Susan helps clients unlock stuck memories, heal from past wounds, and develop greater emotional resilience. This integrative approach empowers clients to move forward with renewed strength, clarity, and a stronger sense of well-being.

Profound Healing Through Jungian Sand Tray Therapy

Susan offers Jungian Sand Tray Therapy, a creative and depth-oriented approach that allows clients to explore their unconscious mind through symbolic expression. By arranging miniature figures and objects in a sandbox, clients can give shape to thoughts and emotions that may be difficult to express with words. Susan combines Sand Tray Therapy with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EMDR to provide a safe and supportive space for clients to process trauma, navigate emotional challenges, and uncover deeper layers of self-awareness. This integrative approach encourages healing on both conscious and unconscious levels, helping clients access inner wisdom, process difficult experiences, and move toward lasting emotional balance and personal growth.

Supporting Children’s Well-being Through Play Therapy

art child therapyPassionate about helping children navigate emotional challenges, Susan utilizes Play Therapy, a developmentally appropriate and evidence-based approach designed to support children in expressing their thoughts and emotions. Play Therapy provides a safe, nurturing environment where children can process complex feelings and experiences through play, which is their natural form of communication. Susan skillfully integrates Play Therapy with techniques from Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Sand Tray Therapy to help children develop emotional regulation, build resilience, and enhance problem-solving skills. By fostering a trusting relationship and encouraging creative expression, Susan empowers children to process emotions, develop self-confidence, and navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and understanding.

Hear from Susan

 

Experience and Belief in My Work

Since beginning trauma training and therapy practice in 2005, I have been deeply committed to connecting with clients across the lifespan, fostering a whole-person, neurobiological experience of being seen, soothed, safe, and secure. Supporting individuals through vulnerable moments is a calling I cherish, drawing from a legacy of calmness and care. When we cultivate these qualities in your experience of suffering, healing happens from the inside out, allowing you to face your pain in a way that feels manageable rather than overwhelming.

My Approach to Therapy

You can expect my approach to trauma-informed therapy to feel gentle, compassionate, and attuned. Many clients experience relief and hope even by the end of their first session—some even find that therapy becomes their new safe place. My presence, often described as kind and grounding, is central to how I support you in your healing process. This is a gift I am deeply grateful for, passed down from my father, whose calm presence brought peace to others, and from mentors who have guided me with their wisdom and care.

At the heart of my work is creating an open and safe space where your thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear or judgment. My approach is to gently integrate connection and healing into your experience of pain and suffering, leading you toward wholeness.

Goals for Your Healing Process

My goal for your therapy journey is to help you:

  • Enhance inner and interpersonal regulation—cultivating a sense of peace, calm, and control (or the ability to let go when needed).

  • Healing experiences from trauma or pain–utilizing evidence-based models to help you gain freedom and peace from things such as anxiety and depression, reduction in somatic symptoms, attachment and relationship issues.

  • Discover your true Self—aligning with your deepest desires and learning how to live from this authentic space.

A Roadmap for Healing

We live in a fast-paced, chaotic world that often pulls us away from what truly matters. I meet clients where they are—emotionally, mentally, spiritually and somatically—offering a roadmap for healing, a way to process the past, and clarity for choices in the present and future. Together, we cultivate a “Yes Brain” (as described by leading neuroscientist Dr. Daniel Siegel)—an open, curious, and engaged mindset that fosters creativity and effective solutions to life’s challenges.

The Art of Therapy & Internal Family Systems (IFS)

For me, therapy is both a science and an art. I integrate evidence-based approaches, including Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), which provides a humanistic and clarifying framework for understanding your inner world. IFS helps normalize our experiences, deepens self-awareness, and fosters a profound connection with our uniquely wise and wonderful selves—and with others.

Taking the First Step….

Starting therapy takes courage, and I honor the step you are taking toward your healing. Congratulations on beginning this journey—I look forward to walking alongside you.

~ Susan Smith, LPC

Susan headshot

Education and Certifications

Education

  • Masters of Arts in Counseling, Denver Seminary, Littleton, Colorado, 2003
  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Taylor University, Upland Indiana, 1999

Professional Experience and Advanced Training

Advanced Trainings

  • Internal Family Systems Level 1 Training, IFS Institute, 2020
  • EMDR Basic Training Levels 1 & 2, 50-hours Maiberger Institute, 2013
  • Jungian Sandplay Therapy Advanced Trainings (Certification in Process)
  • DBT Advanced Trainings
  • Child-Parent Psychotherapy Relationship-Based Trauma Treatment in Infancy and Early Childhood
  • Infant Mental Health, The Kempe Children’s Center

Let’s Get Started!

Fill out the form to book an appointment with Susan Smith.

We are committed to helping you find a great fit with a therapist, which is why we offer every new client a FREE initial consultation.

There are two easy ways to connect with us. Call our office at 720-675-7123 and press “1” to be connected. Fill out the contact form to request an appointment or to learn more.

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