Liz Surprenant
Hey you. I’m glad you’re here. My name is Liz and I offer strengths-based therapeutic support, grounded in relationship, meaning, and connection. Clients who enjoy working with me tend to be experiencing major life changes, loss and bereavement, changes in identity, and generalized anxiety.
My approach is grounded in narrative therapy, focusing on gentle conversation, curiosity, humor, and a profound respect for your life story.
I also love working with folks who are curious about spirituality and the intersection between life, loss, and meaning-making. My approach is grounded in narrative therapy, focusing on gentle conversation, curiosity, humor, and a profound respect for your life story. If you’re looking for a therapist who will teach you concrete skills, give homework, or offer structured approaches to sessions, I may not be the best fit. But if you’re wanting a space where you can feel seen and heard, process what you’re going through, and explore ways to make meaning and purpose, then I would be honored to partner with you! Feel free to reach out and we can chat more about what you’re looking for. I look forward to hearing from you!
First session
When we first meet, I’ll offer some structure in the form of reviewing consents and expectations for therapy. We’ll review some of your history and explore your goals and hopes for our time together. Mostly, though, I’ll just be getting to know you!
Strengths
I like to think that I offer a gentle and calming presence. I listen, ask questions (when it makes sense), validate, normalize, and use humor and perspective to help shift mindsets when they feel stuck or stagnant. Other times, I just sit with you through your sorrow, your grief, your uncertainty, or your questions, and I hope to help you feel less alone. I use narrative therapy and “parts work” to help lessen stigma or shame around symptoms and explore how to regain a sense of compassion and care for yourself. I offer additional training and experience in spirituality and pastoral care, which is sometimes helpful for clients who want to “talk about God stuff” - but I will always let you make the first move!
Ideal clients
I love working with clients experiencing life transitions - into college, into adulthood, into married or partnered life, into parenthood. I’m a new parent myself so I have a particular compassion for postpartum women. I also love working with folks who are curious about big life questions and can explore ambiguities and uncertainties without needing “all the answers”. Lastly, as a recovering people pleaser, I love working with anxious adults who are working on setting boundaries, saying no, and navigating relationships in loving and honest ways.
Origin story
I was a sensitive kid who always felt attuned to others’ emotional needs (classic middle child!) and I knew that I wanted to be in a helping profession. I earned my first degree in theology after having formative faith experiences, but eventually discerned that translating my spirituality training into mental health training was really where I belonged. I have felt profoundly supported and cared for by therapists in my life and I am so grateful to be in a profession that allows me to hear people’s stories and walk with them through different seasons of their lives. It sounds corny, but it really is a true privilege.
Ongoing work together
I offer a gentle and empathetic approach in sessions. I am not as structured as some therapists who offer more concrete approaches (like DBT or EMDR), but I will work with you to identify your goals and make connections from week to week.
Treatment methods
Compassion-Focused
I will always strive to listen, explore, and process from a lens of compassion - believing that we are generally doing the best we can in this life, and that compassion to self and others is one of the most effective ways to create lasting change.
Narrative
Your story is at the center of your therapy. We will look at how your life story has unfolded, what it has taught you, how it has shaped you, and, at times, how it may have harmed you. I will help you find your voice to reclaim your story on your own terms and to re-write a narrative that no longer works for you.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
I like to approach “problems” and “symptoms” through a lens of parts. We all have parts - some that we’re proud of, and others not so much. I will explore different parts of your mind and spirit with you and help you to get to know yourself better. The hope is that you learn to understand and appreciate even the most difficult or shameful parts of yourself and to learn ways to manage those aspects with more grace.
Faith-based therapy
I come from a Christian/Catholic background and I have a bachelor’s and secondary master’s in Pastoral Care and Counseling. That means that I am curious about the God question, how it helps and supports clients in their journey, or even if God experiences have been harmful, traumatizing, or upsetting. I am happy to walk with folks who are looking for a way to combine mental health care with spiritual care.
Location
Virtual sessions