Suzanne Boak, LMSW

Suzanne Boak is a licensed social worker with more than 32 years of clinical experience in Michigan and abroad. She helps people cope with relationship strain, family conflict, grief, parenting challenges, and stress. She also supports those facing trauma, anxiety, anger, and changes that come with illness or caregiving.

Suzanne favors straightforward, person-focused work. She listens closely and helps clients identify practical steps they can try between sessions. Sessions often concentrate on improving communication, managing intense emotions, and rebuilding self-esteem after loss or difficult life shifts.

Her background includes long experience with caregiving issues, chronic pain and illness, and compassion fatigue. That history informs how she frames coping strategies and pacing during treatment. She brings knowledge of blended family dynamics, divorce and separation, and common patterns that show up in family-of-origin concerns.

Therapeutic methods she uses include client-centered techniques, EMDR for trauma-related material, and the Gottman Method for relationship concerns. She also uses solution-focused and motivational interviewing approaches to set achievable goals and strengthen motivation for change.

Clients can expect a calm, practical style that balances emotional processing with clear strategies. Suzanne aims to help people find better daily routines, clearer communication, and a steadier sense of purpose when life feels out of balance.

How Suzanne’s Methods Translate to Online Care

Client-centered therapy focuses on the client's needs and perspective. It involves open listening, reflecting what you say, and helping you discover your own solutions. This approach can help with relationship problems, self-esteem, and coping with life transitions.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is a trauma-focused method that processes distressing memories in a structured way. It is used for trauma-related symptoms, grief, and strong emotional reactions tied to past events.

The Gottman Method concentrates on communication skills and patterns in relationships. It teaches concrete tools for reducing conflict and rebuilding connection, which is useful for people handling intimacy issues or ongoing relationship stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose which methods fit their needs, goals, and comfort level. That decision is revisited as progress is made and circumstances change.

If you prefer online sessions, confirm the current session formats before booking so you know what's offered. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow quieter or shorter check-ins when needed. Talk with the therapist during the matching process about how to structure sessions to match your schedule and goals.