SUSASN SAINT-ROSSY, LCSW, LICSW
LEESBURG, VA — SERVING VIRGINIA AND WASHINGTON, DC
Hello, I’m Susan.
Mender of hearts and psychotherapist.
Relationships are complex. Whether you're searching for the right person, trying to navigate the uncertainties of dating, or working to rebuild trust and intimacy in a long-term partnership, love can feel both deeply fulfilling and painfully elusive. I understand how hard it is to want connection but struggle to find it—or to have built something meaningful, only to see it crack under the weight of stress, miscommunication, or betrayal.
I see my role as that of a mender—someone who carefully and skillfully helps you piece your heart and relationship together.
In Japanese art, kintsugi is the practice of repairing broken pottery with gold, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It transforms something fractured into something even more beautiful, more resilient. I take the same approach with relationships and with the human heart. The pain, the setbacks, the ruptures—they don’t have to define you, but they can shape you into someone—an individual or a couple—stronger, more whole, more open to love.
It’s hard to admit you aren’t a high achiever in relationships.
I specialize in working with ambitious professionals—high achievers who excel in many areas of life but find relationships uniquely challenging. Maybe you've been so focused on success that intimacy has taken a backseat. Maybe past wounds make it hard to trust, or maybe you and your partner keep having the same fights, feeling more disconnected each time.
I don’t offer generic advice or surface-level fixes.
Instead, working with me enables you access the deeper layers of emotion and conditioning that shape your relational patterns. I work best with people for whom traditional talk therapy or cognitive strategies haven’t been enough—those who need a more profound, embodied shift in how they experience themselves and their relationships.
If you're looking for a therapist who will listen, reflect, and gently nod, I might not be the right fit. My style is active, engaged, and deeply attuned. I help clients see patterns they may have missed, challenge narratives that no longer serve them, and develop a felt sense of safety—within themselves and in their relationships.
So many people, high achievers in many aspects of their lives, experts in their professions, find themselves wanting more in their love relationships.
I work with people like you with a variety of relationship issues:
Couples who love each other but don’t communicate well, and feel disconnected or exhausted from the same painful cycles.
Couples healing from betrayal—an affair, financial betrayal, or other deep rupture in a couple’s relationship.
Accomplished professionals recovering from a divorce or major breakup.
Late bloomers who feel like love has passed them by or that it’s “too late” to find the right relationship.
This work isn’t just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about transformation into something and someone stronger and more resilient. It’s about creating relationships that feel deeply safe, profoundly connected, and truly aligned with who you are.
If you’re ready to explore what that kind of love could feel like, I’d love to help you get there.
You are not unique in having problems with relationships.
About Me
(The Official Stuff)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia and Washington, DC, practicing for 25+ years
Level 3 trained in PACT —The Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy. Trained in other couples therapy approaches including the Gottman Method and EFT (Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy)
Trained in EMDR, Brainspotting, and many depth psychology approaches
Masters in Clinical Social Work. BA, MA, and PhD in English Literature
Prior experience in management consulting, marketing, and as a college professor
Practiced as a psychotherapist and trained psychotherapists in several countries including China, Russia, Botswana, and India
About Me
(The Unofficial Stuff)
Was unlucky (or just confused and untrained) in love for many years and finally created a secure love relationship in middle age.
Mama to 3 humans and 2 big, fluffy cats.
Old dancer (ballet, jazz, modern) and wish I still could do a grande jete.
Creative to the core and would rather be painting or writing poetry than jumping on a trampoline or tramping through the woods.
Lived in five different countries on four continents.
Hated the corporate life, though I learned a lot about business and people while I was there.
Always reading at least three books at the same time, both on my Kindle app and through the library’s free book download.
My guess is that you’ve let your relationship situation go on for too long.
Your shattered and exhausted self would love for someone to wave a magic wand and take your pain and heartbreak away.
I cannot offer you that sorcery.
But if you are willing to commit to doing some emotional labor and change the trajectory of your intimate world, let’s talk and see if I am the right therapist to help you create relationship gold.