Welcome to the online home of Common Counsel
Common Counsel is located at the Village Commons (Room #113, 1200 W. 11th St.) in Traverse City. Therapists at Common Counsel use traditional therapy techniques as well as Expressive therapeutic approaches - art/creative process (photo, drawing, clay), outdoor experiential (hiking, snowshoe). Client concerns may include: changing family role dynamics, grief and loss, issues of aging, women’s issues, education/career exploration/mentoring, sexual orientation/ally support, self concept/self esteem, self harm, adolescent individuation, divorce, infertility, and adoption.
Initial appointment sessions will be scheduled (#231.883.2738) for the Traverse City location. Through assessment and goal setting, client and therapist will determine the appropriate venue for future sessions. A secondary therapeutic studio is located in Leelanau County, north of Suttons Bay. In addition to accepting some insurance plans, our practice honors a free will offering/sliding fee system for those without insurance.
Principal Therapist, Susan Kopka (LMSW) was a Medical Social Worker with Munson Home Health Care, from 2008 – 2011, performing rural medical social work practice with patients discharged from hospital and placed in Medicare sponsored home health care with a team of licensed professionals. Social work care included: information and referral (long term planning, financial counseling) as well as couples, family, and end of life therapeutic concerns. In September 2011, Ms. Kopka became a trained Mental Health Professional with the Collaborative Practice Institute of Michigan and the Up North Collaborative of Northern Michigan Divorce Professionals.
From 2004 – 2007, Ms. Kopka was a Youth and Family Services Counselor (YFS) for Third Level Crisis Center in Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) West Junior/West Senior High Schools. A trained ally for GLBTQ youths, through Third Level’s Windfire program, Ms. Kopka has also served as lead worker in summer programs, as a clinical counselor on a 24/7 crisis line and provided clinical counseling/case management to youth/families at Pete’s Place Youth Shelter, collaborating with Catholic Human Service’s (CHS) Host Home program.
Susan has also been an Adjunct Instructor at Northwestern Michigan College since 1991; teaching academic courses in Photo/Drawing as well as an Extended Education Instructor for Kids College and Life Academy. Ms. Kopka has been a Michigan Council for the Arts grant funded art instructor for children’s summer classes (Leland Old Art Building/Suttons Bay Friendship Center), served as a Teacher/Curator for the TBA-ISD Art Truck and as a Counseling Artist in Munson’s Hospice Children’s Art Bereavement Program.