Atsarah Lifeworks
About Susie
The training, experience, and philosophy behind Atsarah Lifeworks.
Susie Carroll, LCSW
Susie Carroll is a clinical social worker who received her education at Northwest Nazarene University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1998 and a Master of Social Work in 2003. She later earned her clinical license to practice psychotherapy and serves as a clinical supervisor for professionals working toward clinical licensure.
A long-standing Adlerian perspective
Susie has been a member of the Idaho Society of Individual Psychology since 1998. The organization studies the work of Alfred Adler, whose ideas emphasized social equality, belonging, community, encouragement, and the importance of understanding people in the context of their relationships.
Those ideas fit naturally with Circle practice: everyone belongs, every person has dignity, and meaningful change grows through connection rather than hierarchy.
Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy
Susie is certified in Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy through ACPE. Her interest in this work grew from a desire for a balanced, whole-person approach—one that can make room for biological, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of a person's life.
This perspective is welcoming of people from all religious traditions, mixed-belief groups, and people with no religious affiliation, humanists, and athiests. Participants choose their own level of comfort and sharing.
EMDR training
Susie is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a psychotherapy approach commonly used in the treatment of traumatic reactions. Her clinical experience informs the care, pacing, and awareness she brings to facilitated group experiences.
Training as a Circle Keeper
Susie trained as a Circle Keeper through an immersive experience that included two full weeks in Circle with a community committed to deep listening and sharing. She continues to participate in a professional community of practice for ongoing learning and reflection.
She has facilitated Circles in a variety of settings, including church leadership teams, retreats, community health settings, work teams, volunteer groups, and other gatherings.
The role of the Circle Keeper
A Circle Keeper helps prepare the gathering, supports the structure of the process, and protects the conditions that allow people to listen and speak with intention. The Keeper is not positioned above the group. The Keeper is in the Circle and shares responsibility for the quality of the gathering with everyone present.
That principle is central to Atsarah Lifeworks: connection is strongest when people are treated with dignity, invited into genuine participation, and given room to hear one another.