Susanna Abse

Susanna Abse is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist who has worked in private practice with couples, parents and individuals since 1991. She was the chair of The British Psychoanalytic Council from 2018-2021 and was the CEO of Tavistock Relationships from 2006-16. She recently became a Trustee of The Freud Museum in London.

Alongside her clinical practice, Susanna works as a coach with CEOs and senior leaders, offering tailored support.  She has worked extensively with senior staff in the NHS, in Charities and in Higher Education offering both individual coaching and team sessions.  She also provides consultancy to organisations, helping teams work better, tackling complex long-term barriers to effective working and supporting culture change.

Susanna is also a Senior Fellow of The Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology; a Fellow of the Centre for Social Policy at Darington, and Series Co-Editor of “The Library of Couple and Family Psychoanalysis” for Routledge Books. In 2018 she was a member of the policy commission, “Investing in a Resilient Generation” for the University of Birmingham, examining the best practice-based evidence for a new paradigm for mental health which emphasised the importance of early intervention.

Previously, she has sat on a variety of governmental and ministerial advisory committees at the Department of Health, The Department of Children, Schools and Families and the Department of Work and Pensions.  She has also sat as an expert advisor on many research advisory groups; including an NSPCC project to develop an early intervention for families at risk of domestic violence. She has published widely on couple therapy, parenting, and family policy and how these areas need to be at the heart of progressive welfare provision. Her many publications include writings for the New Statesman, New Associations and for the Open Society European Policy Institute.  In 2019, she made a series of Films for Channel 4 news which looked at the psychological aspects of Brexit. Susanna’s book, Tell Me the Truth about Love published by Ebury is now out in paperback. Susanna works from offices in Queen Anne Street, central London.