Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Baker.
Susan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always had a passion for helping others. It goes back to my childhood and early adulthood when I developed an interest in becoming an educator. I got my bachelor’s degree in Education and taught in the school system for a number of years.
Later, when I became a mother, my helping role expanded in ways I never imagined. Raising children is challenging in and of itself, but once I learned that I had a child on the Autism spectrum, everything changed.
We always knew that my daughter was a little different, but once we had a diagnosis, my energy and focus shifted to how I could better understand the condition, find the best remediation options, and develop coping skills for our family.
Through this determined search for knowledge, I developed a strong passion for helping others who find themselves in similar circumstances. I also began to view myself as not only an educator, but also as an evangelist for my local community. It started with Autism-awareness, and grew from there. My newly-found passion for helping others to cope with life challenges brought me to pursue a career in community counseling and eventually to open my own practice.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a mother, when you see that your child struggles, you want to help them in every way possible. Children that are developmentally delayed, and have great difficulty with socialization, present a special case. Humans are naturally social creatures. When our children are young, we seek out opportunities to help them socialize with their peers.
It is heartbreaking to find your child ostracized and rejected by others because they are different. As a parent, I began to blame myself and felt it was my responsibility to shoulder the burden of solving the problem. Sometimes problems don’t have an easy solution. What’s required is thoughtful introspection and acceptance.
I turned to counseling to help develop my own personal coping mechanisms. The counseling process not only helped me with the struggles I was facing with my child, but it also helped me in every other area of my life. I realized that good therapy can be life changing.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Motivations Counseling – what should we know?
Motivations Counseling provides counseling services for individuals, couples & families in Sugar Land and surrounding areas. I am trained in the use of EMDR therapy, which is best known for its effectiveness on dealing with trauma.
I opened my Sugar Land office in 2016 and have been growing the practice ever since.
My specialties include: stress management, anxiety, and relationship conflict.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My secret to success is in developing genuine relationships.
A therapist must truly connect with their clients in order to help them to achieve their personal goals. I believe that individuals have the capability to change their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
I use unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence in the relationship to help clients change their thinking, which in turn changes how they feel and behave.
Pricing:
- Individual Counseling: $125/50-minute session
- Marriage Counseling: $140/50-minute session
- EMDR Thearpy: $140/50-minute session
Contact Info:
- Address: 14090 Southwest Fwy, Ste 300
Sugar Land, TX 77478 - Website: http://www.motivationscounseling.com
- Phone: (281) 858-3001
- Email: susan@motivationscounseling.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motivationscounseling
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/motivations-counseling-sugar-land-2
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/motivations-counseling
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