About

Welcome!

Hi. I’m a clinical psychologist, mental health advocate, husband, and father.

This is my personal website. It is focused on mental health, wellness and recovery from mental illness and substance misuse. My goal is to provide proven, science-based information and resources to offer support, hope and encouragement to persons in recovery and to those who care about them.

My other primary focus is mental health advocacy. I believe that by getting better informed and more involved in advocacy, we can all help make a difference to reduce stigma and to promote better mental health programs and services.

I also feature inspirational “Stories of Hope,” a series of interviews with people who have dealt with mental health challenges and share the lessons they have learned through their journey. If you would like to share your story with me, more information can be found here.

The material on this site reflects only my personal views and not those of my employer or any other group with which I am associated.

Here are the values my social media content is based upon:

  • Helpful: I strive to share information which can help others better understand mental health issues and hopefully take away something to manage their concerns a little more easily.
  • Clear: If information isn’t clear and easy to understand, it won’t be very helpful. I’ve read far too many articles on mental health issues that are almost incomprehensible because of unclear or technical language. I want the information I share to be crystal clear and easy to use.
  • Effective: There’s so much information out there about ways to deal with mental health issues that have absolutely no scientific evidence to back them up. I won’t write or talk about something unless I know there’s solid evidence that it works.
  • Inclusive: I welcome and respect the unique contributions that people bring in terms of their culture, ethnicity, race, color, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, nation of origin, age, religion, disability, and beliefs. I will never knowingly include or promote information which encourages bias, hate, racism, or discrimination.
  • Encouraging: Talking about mental health issues isn’t easy. There is so much anxiety and fear about disclosing our personal struggles that it’s difficult to open up about them to others. I want to offer support and encouragement and say that it’s ok to talk about these issues.
  • Hopeful: Coping with a mental illness can be incredibly difficult, but effective treatments are available and people really can get better. Not all the problems will go away, but quality of life can definitely improve and hope can be found again!
  • Interesting: I really don’t want to be boring. You will zone out immediately if stuff you read is deadly dull. On the other hand, if information is engaging and interesting, you’re more likely to pay attention to it and get something meaningful from it.

I publish posts on this site periodically, and update existing content to keep it current and accurate. I invite you to subscribe to my posts to have them delivered to your email inbox each week.

First time visitor? Check out “My Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts” or a categorical index of all my posts.

My Biography

I grew up in Tazewell, a small town in the beautiful Appalachian region of southwestern Virginia.

I received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Virginia, a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Marshall University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kentucky.

My training and employment as a clinical psychologist has included work in psychiatric hospitals, mental health centers, colleges and universities, state government, a Federal prison, and a VA (veterans) medical center. I’m licensed to practice psychology by the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology.

Over more than thirty years, I and my work teams have been fortunate to help provide care to over 50,000 people with mental health and substance use concerns.

For over 24 years, I worked at Eastern State Hospital, a public psychiatric hospital in Lexington, KY. I was the founding director of the hospital’s Recovery Mall, an award-winning recovery and rehabilitation program for adults with serious mental illness and substance misuse. As the hospital’s Psychology Services director, I facilitated the provision of psychological assessment and psychotherapy and supervised psychology graduate students in their training placements.

I also worked for over 26 years in part-time and full-time academic roles in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky. I served as director of the Jesse G. Harris, Jr. Psychological Services Center, an outpatient clinic where doctoral students in clinical psychology are trained in providing psychological testing and therapy. I oversaw the operations of the center and provided administrative and clinical supervision to the graduate student staff and therapists. I was also the training director of a doctoral health service psychology internship program accredited by the American Psychological Association.

Currently I serve as Executive Advisor for Clinical Services in the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, part of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, in Frankfort, KY. In this role, I work on projects to remove barriers and improve access to behavioral health care for citizens throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

I believe strongly in contributing to the larger community. I served as President (2006-2007) of the Kentucky Psychological Association (KPA) and am a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). I received the NAMI-Lexington (KY) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and was inducted into the KPA Hall of Fame in 2024.

I have been active in mental health advocacy initiatives at the state and Federal levels. I served as the Kentucky representative (2014-19) to the American Psychological Association (APA) Council of Representatives, the legislative body for the association, and served as Chair of the Council Leadership Team (2023) and as a member of the APA Board of Directors (2022-23).

I have been married to my wife and best friend, Kathy for thirty-five years. We have one daughter, Allison and a sweet but feisty West Highland White Terrier named Bella. We live in the beautiful Bluegrass region of Kentucky. In my free time, I enjoy reading, travel, walking, movies, music, and thinking about exercising.

Let’s Connect!

Please feel free to contact me here. Also, please subscribe to my blog, and connect with me on social media:

Finally, if you’re interested in mental health advocacy, please join the “Mental Health Advocates International” Facebook group.

Thanks for stopping by,

David Susman, PhD