MEET SUSAN ZUIDEMA · REGISTERED PSYCHOTHERAPIST · MDiv · CRPO #16180
You don't have to keep carrying it all alone.
I work with adults, couples, and families who feel stuck in patterns that leave them overwhelmed or disconnected, longing to feel understood, connected, and hopeful again.
Couples Therapy · Complex Trauma (CPTSD) · Trauma, Depression, & Anxiety · Christian Counselling
My Approach: Therapy that goes deeper than coping
Our patterns often make sense when we understand what lies beneath them. Anxiety, withdrawal, conflict, or feeling overwhelmed can be connected to deeper emotions, past experiences, and our need for safety and connection.
My work is grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), an attachment-based approach that helps us understand these patterns and create new ways of relating to ourselves and the people who matter to us.
Individual Therapy
EFIT: Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy
As an ✦ ICEEFT Certified EFIT Therapist ✦, I help individuals explore the emotions and attachment needs beneath recurring struggles, develop greater self-understanding, and move toward a stronger sense of emotional security.
Additional Training:
Transforming Trauma with EFIT
EFIT & Grief
Couples & Relationships
EFCT: Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
When couples get caught in painful cycles of conflict, criticism, or withdrawal, EFT helps them understand what's happening beneath the surface and begin building more secure, responsive connections. I am currently working toward certification in this model
Completed (ICEEFT): EFCT Externship, Core Skills
Ongoing: Supervision with Herman Chow
Additional Training: EFT five-day intensive, EFCT Certificate & Consultation
I believe ongoing training is an investment in my clients.
I love Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) because research supports its effectiveness, and I've seen the difference it can make when individuals and couples begin to get unstuck. It is a privilege to witness people develop a deeper understanding of themselves, move through painful patterns, and reconnect with the people who matter most.
EFT goes beyond teaching communication skills. It helps us understand the emotions and attachment needs beneath our reactions, and the patterns that emerge when we feel hurt, disconnected, or unsafe.
I continue to invest in specialized training, supervision, and learning because I want to offer thoughtful, informed care. Therapy is never one-size-fits-all; our work together is shaped around your experiences, needs, and goals.
The experiences that shape how I work
Before becoming a psychotherapist, I spent years teaching in public schools and working in community settings, including youth leadership and programs supporting at-risk youth in Brantford. I also served in advocacy roles alongside people facing homelessness, addiction, trauma, and mental health challenges.
These experiences deepened my understanding of how life circumstances shape the way we see ourselves, relate to others, and cope with what life brings. They also taught me the importance of looking beyond what we see on the surface and meeting each person with dignity, curiosity, and compassion.
Today, I bring that same respect for each person's story to the therapy room, creating space for you to feel safe, understood, and supported as we work together toward change.