We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Susan Kaye a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Susan , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

My risks began in 1967 when I graduated high school and told my mom I wanted to go to college. Her response was: “girls don’t go to college,” and she left the room. So I took my “acceptable” secretarial skills and landed a job as Secretary to the Dean of Men at Villanova University, where part of my salary was free tuition. My major was Human Services. I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew it was the field I wanted to be a part of. Your topic of taking a risk has been my life’s work since leaving my small hometown and moving to the Philadelphia Main Line away from family and friends; my life’s journey has been one risk after another. My part-time job as a massage therapist was also a risk because, in the mid-1980, a massage certification still had only the massage parlor understanding. I was the first legitimate massage therapist in a mostly men-only gym, in a hair salon, and a chiropractor’s office. Lots of risks set me up for my life’s work which is still a risk today.

Dr. Susan , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The question of what is “normal” came early in my career as a human sexuality professor at a local community college. Many class discussions and guests who spoke for my students raised their curiosity about this concept or mandate of “normal”. One day I walked to the blackboard (yes, a blackboard) and drew a circle which I divided into three segments looking like a peace sign. In one-third, I wrote nature; in the second third, I wrote nurture; in the third segment, I wrote plain damn you. This model, which I now have trademarked, is the basis of the therapeutic process I teach to folks who work with me in a team approach I call integrative mind-body therapy. This work has set us apart from all other therapy modalities since early 2000. I studied with the sexuality research team of Masters and Johnson. Their therapeutic process is the cornerstone of my work today.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Ha! Just one? I was way ahead of the therapeutic world in understanding my expanded triadic therapy model which is now being more accepted in the medical model known as integrative medicine.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Yep! It is what I came here to do. I knew early on that our body should be our best friend and we need to learn how to be safe and secure with “you with you” before we can be safe and secure in you with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: drsusankaye.com
• Instagram: Susan Kaye@integrative_mbt
• Facebook: Susan Kaye
• Twitter: @DrSusanKaye
• Youtube: Dr Susan Kaye
• Other: integrativemindbodytherapies.com