We recently had the chance to connect with Suzi Halajyan and have shared our conversation below.
Suzi , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What battle are you avoiding?
Funny enough it’s actually mostly work related. I’m tiptoeing around expanding my business into its next era. It’s exciting to see your little company grow the more you water it but it’s also riddled with fear and anxiety. The idea of building a team and being responsible for them creates a duality of emotions. On one hand I want to keep providing to my community. For clients, I want them to have access to a variety of therapists at a range of affordability and for up and coming therapists, I want to provide guidance that helps them grow and explore the type of therapist they can become. I find so much honor in the trust my clients put in me but still find it scary to mentor newer clinicians because I know how important and pivotal the first few years of psychotherapy work is in shaping the clinician they become in the future.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Oh look, a therapist in LA—groundbreaking. Hi, that is me though! I’m Suzi and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a psychotherapy practice nestled in Studio City. I like to nudge people’s emotions until they go from being prickly and painful to warm and familiar. I’m not really a traditional therapist though, the old school approach doesn’t fit in my practice. My clients tend to get imperfect Suzi who’s ready to roll up her sleeves and find solutions with them. They want the struggle moments along with the laughter but most importantly they want to see that their therapist is another human being that can be just as messy as them. In a world where AI and online therapy forums are rising, maintaining direct human contact with my clients is invaluable. It feels like a partnership to help them face life authentically and thrive.
I built my private practice to help create aspects of calm and consistency for my clients. I personally find myself more grounded and motivated with a set system and routine. After years of trial and error, I curated a toolbox that helps my clients create a blueprint customized for their goals. Our sessions are a supporting pillar that help us move in and out of embracing our emotions more freely and authentically while healing the anchors that hold us back. Think: lifted up, not tied down.
My small practice is on the edge of evolving into its next goal. Modernizing and normalizing therapy has been a longtime goal of mine. Sometimes in LA we take therapy for granted because it’s a common stereotype but in reality there’s still a lot of internalized shame and negative stigma that prevents people from utilizing it as a tool. My hope is to play a part in revolutionizing that while working on accessibility. As an individual, I can only take on so many clients, but by helping aspiring therapists, it allows me to expand the outreach. I never saw myself as a mentor but there’s something very fulfilling in giving back to the next generation in ways that felt lacking when I was coming up.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Is an emotional marshmallow an acceptable answer? I felt my emotions loudly and empathically. I loved with an open heart and never held back from a cuddle. I also lived with constant anxiety of disappointing others if I didn’t fulfill their expectations. Anxiety is a funny thing when you’re a child because you don’t really understand it and often times it translates to perfectionism. I remember feeling SO much when I was little. I was always listening in to conversations to absorb as much information as I could. I found safety in having answers without having to ask them. My parents made demure an important value before social media had a chance to catch on to that one. It made me more inclined to be reserved and meet external expectations. Luckily for my therapist, I’m still working through leaving that baggage behind!
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I learned a super cliche but important lesson: significant growth comes more from experience than easy success without struggle. You learn your own bounds and abilities when you fail, feel like it’s over, and despite the pain you choose to move forward with intention. Then you know you want this and you build confidence knowing you have the courage to get back out there and be vulnerable again. I think there’s so much untapped power in vulnerability.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I’d say they work symbiotically! The public sees confident and calculated Suzi who’s ready to take on a challenge. She’s full of energy and usually overflowing with plans and ideas. The other Suzi is creative and comfy. She loves to lose time in a long book series and appreciates a cozy pair of socks. Staying true to both feels more sustainable and helps prevent my emotional burnout.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I’m fascinated by the roller coaster this question put me through. Because my work is such a big and consuming part of my life right now, it feels like my legacy is tied to my job, which isn’t a bad thing but it also isn’t what I envisioned people remembering me by. To get back on track, I think people will look at my work legacy and think “Wow Suzi was selfless and strong. She is always taking on others people’s struggles and pain and holding that for them with ease. It must be nice to always have the right answer.” That makes me laugh because it’s the farthest from the truth. Although I’m a stronghold for my clients, this work has helped me heal parts of myself, of my inner child that I thought would always be painful. It’s brought me so much purpose to find importance and value in helping others and remembering that I’m a tiny puzzle piece in the enormity of life and it has also humbled me time and time again to remember that I don’t know everything and that’s okay. Having all the answers doesn’t make you successful but being willing to figure it out along the way ensures you’re always adapting and growing and that’s the magic of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.suzihalajyan.com
- Instagram: @sessionswithsuzi
Image Credits
Photographer: Bree McCool
