Today we’d like to introduce you to Suellen Fagin-Allen.
Hi Suellen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been interested in what makes people ‘tick’. I guess I’ve always been a good listener, too – at a very early age I’d have friends, acquaintances, classmates and even family members pouring their hearts out to me and asking for advice about how to solve their problems. All of this didn’t translate right away into a career in the mental health field, though – my first love was music and I’m fortunate to have had a long and active avocation as a performing musician. After graduating with degrees in music, though, it was challenging trying to find a job that would pay all my bills, so I went to work as a claims adjuster for a health insurance company while holding down 2 or 3 fun music gigs at a time on the side.
Working with claims – including ones for hospitalization and disability due to mental health issues – helped developed my interest in the workings of the mind, and dealing with contested claims headed for the company’s legal department piqued my curiosity about the possibility of becoming a lawyer myself. After 5 years in insurance I headed to law school, where I took an elective course in mental health law and volunteered briefly at the State Hospital’s civil legal clinic, After graduation I worked as an Assistant Public Defender here in Orlando, where one of the responsibilities was advocating for people who’d been detained for involuntary treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. As well as feeling I was making at least a small difference in the lives of these people, I became increasingly interested in the interplay between the legal and mental health fields.
When I entered private law practice, I continued representing clients in Baker and Myers (now Marchman) hearings and serving as a Guardian ad Litem for kids who were alleged to be abused, abandoned or neglected. I also took pro bono cases providing representation of people facing proceedings to terminate their parental rights due to alleged abuse, abandonment or neglect. In these venues – and over and over again as I expanded my practice to include divorce and parental responsibility-related issues – I saw how longstanding issues including lack of problem-solving abilities, communication difficulties, family of origin and other traumas resulted in people coming in contact with the legal system, and that as a lawyer I had limited ability to help people ameliorate those long-term problems. I found myself becoming frustrated with my limitations in the legal field and I knew I needed a change. A decade-long detour developing and running both an orchestra and a music school, much serious thought about what I wanted to do next and a few sessions with a great career counselor convinced me to apply for a spot in my alma mater, Rollins College’s first year Master’s in Counseling class. As luck would have it the deadline for application which normally would have passed for that Fall had been extended. I applied, was accepted, and – as they say – the rest is history. After graduation and working in community mental health, substance abuse and Drug Court treatment programs, I went into private practice as a licensed mental health counselor and now see a variety of adult clients, including lawyers and those affected by the legal system, healthcare providers and creative, highly sensitive people and those undergoing stressful and difficult life transitions. Watching people go through the change process and come out on the other side of whatever challenge has brought them to me has been and continues to be tremendously rewarding.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life has not always been smooth sailing for me, and, as in most human lives, there have been challenges. The longer I live and the more intensely I observe human nature (including my own!), the greater my appreciation is for the fact that challenges can become opportunities for learning and growth and for refining one’s concept of what it is to live a successful life. After some particularly tough personal and health issues came up for me at midlife, I began to understand the importance of developing a mindfulness practice, of living one day at a time, of honing a more keen interest in the beauty, wonder and awe-inspiring nature of the world around me, and of grabbing opportunities to really live life: because it’s not a dress rehearsal – it’s the real thing. My goal these days is to live and interesting life by staying truly interested in life, and that’s working out very well for me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work as a mental health counselor/psychotherapist involves guiding people through the change process. Clients come to me because something’s happened in their lives (either having developed gradually over time or having come out of the blue) that they’re having difficulty adjusting to and coping with. It might be the loss of a personal relationship – through either illness, death, divorce, retirement, or distance – or it could be the loss of a sense of status, purpose, meaning or spirituality. They’re looking for a person they can trust and form a bond with as they share some of the most personal details of their lives. They’re needing acceptance and non-judgmentalism from this person. They’re wanting to find ways of making sense of the loss, of figuring out where they stand now in light of their changed circumstances, and of moving forward with hope and anticipation. Our work together involves cultivating acceptance: as therapist Virginia Satir put it, “Life isn’t what it’s supposed to be. Life is what it is.”. This involves grounding: getting a sense of what’s left – and what’s been gained – as the result of the changes they’ve been through. And it involves creating a both realistic and inspiring vision of what can be, given their circumstances, their personal assets and their motivation to move forward. I utilize a blend of cognitive, emotive, sensory and energetic therapy modalities in an existential and mindfulness-based framework that can be easily tailored to fit in with how individual clients see themselves, their current challenges and their desired outcomes. We also take into consideration many environmental factors that affect individual wellbeing and work together on both acceptance of what can’t be changed and commitment to change what we can.
Managing personal change must, by its nature, involve both the application of logic and the allowance for creativity. The advantages I have as a helper are that I’ve lived through a great many life changes (another way of saying that I am old!) and so far have managed them reasonably effectively; that I am both logical and creative, by nature and by training in law and music; and that, having pretty much come to accept myself – warts and all – I am in a position to extend that unconditional acceptance to others as well. And, as someone who’s used a wheelchair for mobility for most of my life, I’ve learned to think outside the box, develop innovative ways of solving problems and thoroughly enjoy life from a perspective that’s just a little different from everyone else’s – skills that can help anyone as they work through life’s varying complexities, developing a sense of both personal competence and self-confidence.
As I look at my life now and as I look back, I am – perhaps proud isn’t the word for it, but appreciative – of having taken chances, tried new things, loved a lot, learned a great deal, and utilized just about all of what I think is my human potential. And all of these are what I try to model for my clients.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Along with my work in psychotherapy, I am also a Reiki Master-Teacher (a type of energy worker) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Management facilitator and educator. I also work part-time as an evaluator for the Guardianship Courts here in Orange and Osceola Counties, helping to make sure that when it’s alleged that someone is not competent to manage their own affairs and need oversight it really is true. The last thing I want is for someone to be placed under Guardianship and court supervision when they really don’t need it! When I’m not working I enjoy hanging out with my husband, who’s been my life partner for 50 years, and our delightful year-and-something-old tuxedo cat, Nibbles. Outside interests include travel, photography, creating art, blogging, reading, scrapbooking and spending quiet time by myself to recharge my battery.
I very much appreciate the opportunity to share a bit of my story with your readers! Anyone wishing to contact me about therapy, mindfulness training or energy healing can get in touch by emailing suellen@simmonscounseling.
Pricing:
- Psychotherapy: $120/hour
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@simmonscounseling.org
- Instagram: mindfulflorida
- Facebook: yourmindfulcounselor
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindfulcounselor1/
Image Credits
#1: Robert Allen
#2: Suellen Fagin-Allen
