About the founder of Vermont PsychodramaHi, I am Sue
I am excited to share with you my love for psychodrama and the legacy of JL Moreno!
I am a Certified Practitioner (CP) through the American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy. My psychodrama journey began in 1999 at Southwestern College, a consciousness-centered graduate school in Santa Fe, NM, where I was first introduced to the method by Kate Cook, TEP.
From my very first experience, I sensed something deep and indescribable occurring. While I could not articulate it then, I have since come to understand it as a depth psychological process.
To me, there is a riveting, initiatory moment in psychodrama when a person realizes the method truly transcends time and space.
In 2013, I moved to Vermont, where I continued to offer and study psychodrama under the mentorship of Dr. Herb Propper, TEP. Driven to explore the profound, numinous moments I witnessed in the field, I completed a PhD in Depth Psychology with an emphasis in Jungian and Archetypal Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute.. My research culminated in my dissertation, The Stage and the Stone: Psychodrama, Alchemy, and Jung, which bridges the gap between psychodramatic practice and the transformative processes of the human psyche.
In 2018, I was walking to a university library to finalize my dissertation when a campus bus struck me in a crosswalk. The front tire crushed my foot, dragging me underneath. I frantically pounded the side of the bus, screaming for the driver to stop—unaware until later that the back tire had narrowly missed my head. After multiple surgeries failed to save my foot, my left leg was amputated below the knee.
When I reflect on my ability to stay conscious during the accident and later adapt to life as an amputee, I am profoundly grateful for my training in psychodrama, which is rooted in spontaneity and role theory. Spontaneity theory posits that spontaneity enables individuals to respond adequately to new situations and creatively to recurring ones. True creativity is born out of these spontaneous moments, reminding us that we are co-creators with the "all-that-is." This training directly empowered me to step into the unfamiliar, challenging role of an amputee. In psychodrama, psychological well-being expands with the number of roles we can access; distress occurs when we become stuck in a single role.
My Story
Since 2002, I have run a private psychotherapy practice specializing in body-centered trauma therapy. Motivated by my own process and experience, I founded Vermont Psychodrama to share the profound, transformative impact of this work
I came to the counseling profession through my own personal journey. This deep practice has allowed me to release, compost, and integrate the generational traumas, beliefs, and patterns that lived within my cells and bones.
Beyond my professional practice, my greatest joys are family, nature, and community. Whether I am exploring the outdoors with my wife, daughter, and animals, learning something new, dancing, or being of service, I love staying active and engaging meaningfully with the people around me.
If your curiosity is sparked and you wish to learn more about how Psychodrama could support you click below.