Suzy Christopher, LCSW
Director
Suzy received a Bachelor of Psychology degree from The College of William & Mary and a Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in mental health from The University of Southern California. Suzy has completed leadership programs through Virginia Tech and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services.
Suzy has spent most of her career in leadership positions that resulted from extensive clinical work with clients of diverse backgrounds. This includes working with, and supervising those working with, adults with Serious Mental Illness, children in treatment foster care, children in residential placements, medically fragile children and adults, community based services, as well as children and families at a Community Services Board. She has worked in non-profit, for profit, and government settings. Through these experiences across settings, Suzy learned of the deficits in the mental health care service system. The creation and development of MySpectrum stems from the recognition of these gaps and a desire to fill them.
Suzy takes a systemic approach to clinical work and believes that relationships are the foundation to change. Early childhood experiences and the impact across the lifespan is an area Suzy studies, and she has brought the whole person and whole lifespan approach to the backbone of MySpectrum. More specific areas of clinical practice that Suzy is also passionate about include childhood trauma, abuse, and neglect, children (and adults) of alcoholic parents, chronic illness and pain in relation to mental health, eating disorders, panic attacks and social anxiety, dissociative disorders, neurodivergence, and LGBTQ specific dynamics that impact mental health and wellbeing. The impact of foster care, adoption, military life, and incarceration are also areas of interest, representing a broad range of life’s circumstances.
Suzy began her career in Los Angeles, California, with the intention of gaining experience with people from different backgrounds and in different cultural settings. MySpectrum was designed with these experiences in mind, to bring an inclusive, diverse, and different outpatient practice to Virginia that works with every person, on every spectrum across the whole life continuum. Suzy hopes to expand this vision beyond Virginia.
When not working, Suzy loves to travel, and enjoys design, photography, movies, college football, and learning new things. She believes that you can never learn too much and transfers this into her leadership style. Humor is a necessary quality and laughter really is the best medicine.
To speak with Suzy, please feel free to send an email to: schris@myspectrumcc.com.