Thank you for visiting Women’s Recovery Decatur!  My practice is located in the heart of downtown Decatur in the historic Masonic Lodge building (walking distance from Agnes Scott and Emory University’s shuttle stop).

It is often scary to admit to yourself that you may need therapy. Family members, coworkers, or friends may have encouraged you to make a call for help.  Regardless of how you made the decision, you are making the first step towards changing your life. You don’t have to wake up daily dreading life.

I feel very passionate about helping clients work towards recovery.  I was fortunate to begin working in 1990 with women struggling with varying issues including depression, grief, trauma, anxiety, eating disorders, and addictions.  I am grateful that these women and often their families felt safe to share their lives with me.  It is wonderful to watch people heal from their sadness and pain and find real meaning and purpose in their lives again.  Recovery is possible but it is a process.  It does not happen overnight. Everyone’s road to recovery has different hurdles. Psychotherapy is a piece of that process.  It challenges clients to address unhealthy behaviors that have more than likely numbed out a variety of feelings in order to survive. Recovery will not occur if they are not resolved.   It is possible to heal from the feelings and issues that have led you to the place that you’re in. Overcoming disordered eating and addictions is often like breaking down the pieces of a puzzle.   It’s not your fault and you don’t have to live in shame and secrecy.  Genetics, personality types, environmental factors, family issues, and societal factors all contribute to mental health disorders.  My role is to help you begin to address why it started and how to help you choose a new road.  I can help you find referrals to physicians, psychiatrists, nutritionists, and more intensive treatment if necessary.
Susan Vanous, MSW, LCSW (Founder of Women’s Recovery Decatur)