Suzanne
Best is a Clinical Psychologist in Portland, Oregon providing psychotherapy
and forensic evaluation and consultation with extensive expertise in Post-traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related conditions.
After over a decade of intensive research and study in PTSD at the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco VA Medical Center, Dr. Best relocated with her family to Portland. There, in addition to her private practice, she regularly telecommutes to San Francisco to develop and supervise therapy provided to Iraq War Veterans with PTSD.
As a PTSD Specialist
Dr. Best has researched, evaluated, and treated a wide variety of trauma sufferers including:
- Police Officers
- Combat Veterans
- Sexual Assault and other Violent Crime Victims
- Accident Victims
- Domestic Violence Victims
- Victims of Sudden Loss
As a Trauma Therapist
Dr. Best provides cognitive-behavioral, evidence-based treatment to adult trauma survivors. Her style of treatment is collaborative, educative and concrete as she assists her clients to:
- Increase their understanding and awareness of trauma's effects
- "Learn" that their traumatic experience is now a memory and that memories are not dangerous
- Develop effective coping strategies to lower their anxiety and regain control of their minds and bodies
As a Police Psychologist
Dr. Best is regularly called upon to provide post-shooting interventions, present on Critical Incident Stress, and consult to various agencies across the nation on the impact of critical incidents. More recently, she has combined her expertise in police psychology and combat stress to assist agencies in the post-deployment "repatriation" of their National Guard and Reservist officers.
In her Forensic Psychology Practice
Dr. Best has conducted forensic evaluations and provided attorney consultations and expert witness testimony in the area of PTSD and trauma response including personal injury, medical malpractice, and police use-of-force.
Dr. Best has written numerous articles on PTSD and related issues (see CV). In 2006 she co-authored Courage After Fire: Coping Strategies for Returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and Their Families, a self-help book for those seeking assistance in managing combat stress and other readjustment struggles.