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Who + What's Behind Heart of Caldera
Get to Know the Social enterprise
Our Story
Hey there! I’m so delighted that you’re here.
Here’s a smidge about me and the Heart of Caldera story.
​Heart of Caldera comes from weaving together two of the main threads in my life: authenticity and relationships with deep connections.
​For me, authenticity is being honest with what is actually happening for me and what I am needing and wanting. There is a part of me that is tenacious and feisty and insistent on my being authentic (probably part of that ADHD spice). I feel truly blessed to have this part, I’m impressed with it. It has this sense that I’m allowed, I’m allowed to be experiencing “this.” There are so many stifling and unjust constraints in our society, and also devastating and traumatic experiences that put pressure on us- sometimes to conform or be “normal” and other times send us into extreme protector/guarded states which can make us feel like there is something wrong with us. This part of me refuses to sit down and be silenced, it knows I get to be heard and seen (and so do you). It is brave. And still, sometimes it has been a struggle to stand behind it. Living boldly has brought into my life losses, heartache, disappointments, and confusion.
“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”
~Brene Brown, in Braving the Wilderness
You are invited to “Heart of Caldera.” Today I bring to my work a variety of ways to hold space and guide you to connect with your own wisdom, your own authenticity, and your own drive for connection. Whether you’ve landed on this page for internal family systems, personal growth, retreats, deep dives, psychotherapy, etc., I hope to have the opportunity to meet you, celebrate you, and work with you on living wholeheartedly.
I have found great solace in that quote. This permission, this right, to be who we are and still be included and valued. We can do that work with our own-selves. We can hold compassion, love, and care for all the parts of ourselves and be known fully to ourselves. And we can be cared for and in connection, be grounded and find peace, in the wilderness.
A second main thread for me holds the natural human longing for connection. I so want to be seen and held by others and to be trusted to see and hold others. I want to celebrate, work, and grieve together. This part of me longs for, and orients me towards community.
So much of my personal journey has been to weave these two threads together, to live authentically and to be in deep connection with friends, family, and my community. And it has been hard, often filled with feelings of anger, sadness, grief, longing, devastation. Through the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model I have been able to more fully turn towards my parts that hold these feelings, to make sense of this experience, to tend to myself, deepening my insight and integrating these parts into my wholeness, so I can live wholeheartedly.
And of course the journey continues. And part of that continuation is inviting you.
The light in me sees the light in you,
Susan Poznyansky, LICSW
Founder Heart of Caldera IFS & Wellness
Susan Poznyansky (They/Them)
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Founder of Heart of Caldera
What was your education like?
I received my Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from Antioch University Seattle with an individualized area of concentration of Educational Leadership for Environmental and Social Justice. I completed my Masters Degree at Columbia University School of Social Work in New York City. I am a level one trained IFS therapist pursuing certification. I completed Chris Burris's Creating Healing Circles facilitator training and am currently completing Jay Earley's Interactive IFS Group Leader Training. I also have a permaculture certificate from Earth Activist Training with Starhawk.
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More to come. :)
Evan "Ash" Young (He/Him)
Add Titles Here
What was your education like?
coming soon.
What is IFS?
(Internal Family Systems)
"IFS is a transformative tool that conceives of every human being as a system of protective and wounded inner parts led by a core Self. We believe the mind is naturally multiple and that is a good thing. Just like members of a family, inner parts are forced from their valuable states into extreme roles within us. Self is in everyone. It can’t be damaged. It knows how to heal.
IFS is frequently used as an evidence-based psychotherapy, helping people heal by accessing and healing their protective and wounded inner parts. IFS creates inner and outer connectedness by helping people first access their Self and, from that core, come to understand and heal their parts."
-IFS Institute
