“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are”

-Carl Jung

 
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Journey to What’s Next, a multi-media video training I’ve created to assist with many of life’s transitions, will be soon be available for online purchase. You can watch the trailer for this stand-alone video class here:

As a licensed psychotherapist and longtime hospice counselor, I believe each of us is here to fulfill a certain destiny.

It’s never too late to create the life you were meant to live. When you claim your life, you inhabit your power. In that space, all kinds of forgotten desires, wondrous experiences and helpful people roll in.

For 12 years I worked as a hospice counselor; I am well-versed in assisting with the emotional and spiritual aspects around preparing for our transition out of this world. I will soon be launching a memoir chronicling my evolution as a hospice counselor and lessons learned along the way.

I’ve spent more than 25 years helping people clear emotional obstacles and find their place in the world. I offer individual and family therapy to help with many of life’s challenges -- anxiety, depression, PTSD, serious illness, cultivating creativity and navigating career transitions.

 
 
 
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“There is no death,
only a change in worlds.”

-Chief Seattle

 

Working through the emotions of our mortality is different for everyone. It’s a gentle process of confronting fear and learning to surrender what no longer serves you.

Throughout my years as a hospice counselor, I’ve witnessed many people meet their fears and transform them into something resembling transcendence. As Irish writer John
O’Donohue puts it, it’s like “a meeting with a lifelong friend from the deepest side of your own nature.”

Coming to terms with our finite time here doesn’t have to be a depressing experience. It can be a catalyst for finding more joy and clarity about how we want to spend our time on this planet.

 

I can help you on your journey.

 

I offer sessions via phone or Zoom. To set up a session, send me an email using the Contact Me form at the bottom of this page.

 
 
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Subscribe to get information on the upcoming video course, guidance in mindfulness and spirituality and information on my forthcoming memoir

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Testimonials - Use the arrows to scroll right

Testimonials

In the words of singer/songwriter Chuck Brodsky, “We are each other’s angels, we meet when it is time. We keep each other going, we show each other signs.” Susan James was one of those beautiful earthly angels; a candle bearer who showed me what I couldn’t see. She gently put her hand upon my heart as I walked with my soulmate Kitty through the amazing time passages, guiding me along the life stream from confusion to clarity, as I gently loved her to death. And beyond.

Neil Scott, Producer/Host | RECOVERY – Coast to Coast | iHeartMedia Seattle

Let me sing the praises of Susan James, my longtime colleague at hospice. Susan carries a perfect blend of competence, compassion, energy, and good humor into her work and relations with others. Her calm equaminity has carried her charges and team members through many a trying time – her smile, even under adversity, comes at crucial moments. She has taught me to never underestimate a timely good laugh, an act of minor kindness, a good word, or a positive spin on a not-so-positive occurence.  We need Susan more than she knows.

Wayne C McCormick MD MPH Palliative & Long Term Care Services | Harborview Medical Center
University of Washington School of Medicine

She was a beautiful young woman, married with three teenage children. And, she was about to die from one of the most challenging diagnoses hospice clinicians see: lung cancer. Her family had disintegrated as they struggled to know how they would live in the future without their mother. There was no solid ground for the five of them. And that is Susan James’ best place. More than any other hospice co-worker I know she held the center. She stopped the room from spinning.  She listened, in a soulful way. Her gifts spring from a joy that bubbles deep inside her, a confidence that the world will turn out okay, and an ability to listen deeply into the hearts of those she serves.

Rev. Holly Hallman, M.Ed., M.Div., BCC (board certified chaplain)

 
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Stay tuned for my coming memoir, which tells the stories of my experience as an Anam Cara - an end of life midwife - and the wisdom offered by those traveling between the seen and the unseen worlds.

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