Susan Rarick, Ph.D.

Dr. Rarick is a Licensed Psychologist who works with adults. Her areas of expertise include stress management, self-esteem, relationship concerns, grief/loss, depression, anxiety, body image, career counseling and assessment, executive coaching, and workplace issues.

Hello, and thank you for taking some time to learn more about the services I provide.  As a Licensed Psychologist, I provide individual therapy, career assessment and counseling, and executive coaching.  My approach is warm, sensitive, empathic, and interpersonally focused. 

I will provide you with a nonjudgmental relationship in which you can feel free to talk about whatever you need to.  The interpersonal focus of my work includes me learning about you as a person and how you relate to others.  Sometimes I can use this insight to help you understand how those interpersonal dynamics might relate to your emotional challenges.  I can help you develop self-awareness into how your past experiences impact your current functioning and how you might alter your current situation to feel more healthy and well-adjusted.  Finally, the therapeutic relationship itself can provide you with what you need to heal old wounds and maximize your current and future potential.

My mission is to provide patients and clients with an emotionally safe environment in which they can self-explore, work toward solving their problems and experience a sense of growth.  I hope to help my patients and clients develop personal, interpersonal, and professional insight, become more self-accepting,  and build on their strengths.  I have a warm and “down to earth” interpersonal style, including genuineness with an ability to challenge when appropriate in a safe and supportive way.

My special interest areas include career development and workplace issues, retirement, stress management, self-esteem, relationships, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, LGBT concerns, and body image.

Career and/or Retirement Planning:  Our work lives consume a substantial amount of our time, yet we so often find ourselves in jobs and careers that cause us a lot of stress or are not a good fit.  Many people were never taught how to make good career decisions for themselves and find they are counting down the years to retirement.  I believe that our work lives can be fulfilling and inspiring if we find something that is a good fit for our values, interests, skills, and personality.  I enjoy working with people to help them find their passion and seek more meaningful positions that can bring them a sense of fulfillment.  Further, when people retire they often find that it can be more challenging than they anticipated.  They might have difficulty finding meaning, fulfillment, life satisfaction, and motivation.  I enjoy working with retirees to help them with their lifestyle planning.

Stress:  While stress is a natural part of life, learning how to manage it can improve your health and well-being.  I enjoy working with people to help them make concrete changes in their lifestyles.  I help people learn how to reframe their viewpoints and clarify their values, leading to improved balance and the ability to manage their level of stress so that it will be motivating but not debilitating.

Self-Esteem:  Many of us suffer from a lack of confidence and not feeling good enough at times.  Sometimes these feelings get in the way of our success in our personal and professional lives.  I have a strengths-based approach to my work and seek to help you find your strengths and build on them to feel better about yourself overall.

Relationships:  Relationships are critical to our functioning. Whether they are personal, professional, or casual relationships, we need others in our lives.  I can help you determine where and why some of your relationships are not working.  I enjoy helping people determine how to alter relationships to make them more mutually satisfying as well as how to make decisions about the types of relationships they want to maintain with others in their lives.  Different people can fulfill different needs. I like to help people understand the gifts they as well as others have to offer and find ways to make those gifts fit into mutually satisfying relationships.

Grief and Loss:  Losing a loved one or a pet can be devastating.  Other losses such as moving, sending a child off to college, or ending a relationship can also be difficult.  When we have a healthy relationship in which to process our feelings of grief and loss, we can sometimes move through the process more smoothly and experience a sense of healing.  I offer people a safe and understanding place in which they can process their feelings of loss and find peace once again.

Depression and Anxiety:  Symptoms of depression and anxiety can be troublesome if not debilitating. I have many years of experience working with clients who have depression and/or anxiety.  I use the therapeutic relationship as well as concrete strategies and suggestions to help you find relief from your symptoms and hopefully alleviate the depression and anxiety overall.

LGBT:  Recent years have brought more acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.  Nonetheless, people sometimes need assistance with their identities and with the coming out and/or transition process.  I have experience working with clients who are early in their identity development as well as those actively going through the process and those who are already living authentic lives but still suffering at the hands of less accepting others.

Body Image:  Unrealistic images put out by the media can create less than favorable feelings about our bodies.  In addition, other more personal experiences can sometimes lead to shame or dissatisfaction with our bodies and difficulty maintaining healthy eating and exercise habits.  My approach to body image issues involves acceptance of oneself while also pursuing a healthy lifestyle.  I seek not to help people lose weight nor accept and live with an unhealthy weight (be it over or under the ideal).  I want to help people learn how to live healthy lives overall, integrate realistic amounts of exercise in their lives, and then grow to value and be comfortable in the body they have.

I earned my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and completed my predoctoral internship training at the University of South Florida. Both of these programs are accredited/approved by the American Psychological Association (APA).  Prior to earning my Ph.D., I earned my master’s degree at Boston University and my bachelor’s degree at the  Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.  I have over 30 years of experience and have worked in private practice, university counseling and career centers, corporate settings, and residential treatment centers.