Meet Susan Heitler, Ph.D.
Psychologist | Author | Marriage Therapist
Please note that Dr. Heitler has relocated to Raanana, Israel. Her Denver therapy office suite has closed.
Dr. Susan Heitler is a leading expert in the field of psychotherapy, focusing especially on treatment of marital difficulties.
In her groundbreaking book From Conflict to Resolution, Dr. Heitler explains her treatment methods. Her approach posits that emotional distress often stems from problematic responses to life’s inevitable “bumps”—the conflicts, challenges, frustrations, and dilemmas we face that leave us feeling distressed and unsure of how to proceed.
While dealing with these bumps leads to well-being, the pathways to get there, especially for couples, may be complex. Resolving conflicts generally necessitates
- discovering and healing the earlier-in-life sources of strong emotions triggered by the conflict
- clarifying reciprocal interaction cycles, that is, how each spouses’ reactions to their deeper issues may inadvertently trigger their partner’s emotional reactivity, and
- building skills for sustaining the emotional stability and consistently cooperative dialogue necessary for win-win conflict resolution,
For a deeper dive into Dr. Heitler’s conflict resolution based treatment framework, visit prescriptionswithoutpills.com and/or read her article called Bump Theory, featured on the APA Society for Advancement of Psychotherapy website.
In addition, if you are a mental health professional, do check out her new APA-accredited online CE course, Effective Couples Therapy.
For more information on Dr. Heitler’s contributions to the field, click on “Bio” above, or view her many blogposts, podcasts, and videos, all available for free on this site.