Susan Lindley (she/her)

Positive Support Professional

Hello! My name is Susan, and I am passionate about people! I strive to support and encourage individuals from all walks of life, regardless of the challenges that they may face. I don't believe that anyone should have to struggle with feelings of loneliness and isolation, so it is important to me that our clients feel heard. I have over 18 years of experience as a special education work and transition job coach, paraeducator, and office assistant, while also raising 5 amazing children. I have worn many different hats over the years, while still maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of our clients. For example, over the last 30 years, I have had the fortune to experience various roles such as advocate, caregiver, support staff, teacher, researcher, trainer, data collector, supervisor, and more.

Then, in April of 2017, I began the 6-year journey that culminated in my degree from Purdue University Global. Much like the rest of my life, my intended trajectory changed, spanning from a Psychology minor in Applied Behavior Analysis to a Master of Science in Forensic Psychology. I also still wish to complete my Doctorate program (in Education Leadership and Innovation) through Purdue University at a later time.

While my list of hobbies has changed over the years, many of them still have a special place in my heart. For example, I love pin-up and 50’s rockabilly style, and I even used to participate in some of the local car shows. Another is my absolute love for music – whether it’s singing, dancing, or just drinking it in. I’m a true crime and forensics fanatic (no surprise), which pairs beautifully with my passion for reading. I love playing video games, have a familiarity with computers, and I have even hosted a few roleplay games through various online game servers. Of course, I also enjoy any time spent with my family and friends, which includes my fur baby (a black short-haired kitten) and 1 very entitled chihuahua. These opportunities have given me an appreciation for the variety and complexity that is the spectrum of the human experience.

  • Master in Psychology (w/ a Bachelor in ABA) from Purdue Global University

  • 18 years through work and 28 years through parenting!

  • Bindery Assistant, Amateur Model, Job Coach, Health Room & Office Assistant (during Covid)

    1 year of a Doctorate program for Education Leadership & Innovation (hope to resume at a later date)

  • I strongly believe that just because certain people might look different, think different, or act differently than others do – those various idiocycrasies don’t make them any less of a human being. They are still valuable, important people who are wholly worthy of love and respect, and who deserve happiness just like everyone else does. I believe that we all make mistakes, and that maybe all anyone needs is just a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on to make all the difference. That no one should ever have to feel alone, or that no one cares.

  • I spent close to six years as a one on one job coach for an IDD student who struggled with Autism. His behaviors were so extreme that he was often considered "unteachable". And he treated me no better than anyone else (in fact, sometimes I think he really deeply disliked me). However, a year after I had moved on to another position, I received a picture and a single email from this student; thanking me for helping him to graduate. They didn't think he'd finish out his senior year, let alone get his diploma ... but he had done it (gameboy and all). I'm still so proud of him. I don't know what he's doing today - but I hope that I made a difference in his future.

  • I haven't had a mentor myself; at least that I would identify as such - but I have had many friends and supporters throughout the years, and they have all made an impact in my life. From former team members; like Beth Sturdivan and Loraine Torquato, to former teachers and school psychologists, like Debra Hellen and Tracy Connick. I've even worked with some students and various community members who I would consider as having had an impact on my life and abilities. So while I don’t claim a single person as an employment mentor specifically, I do feel that I have had a rich and varied experience due to the many people and positions I’ve had.

  • I'm excited to be here (can't wait to have things to say :)

Professional Information

Get to Know Susan

  • (mostly prior to covid) Amateur Pin-Up Modeling & Pageants, Pole & Exotic Dance, Roleplaying Games & Writing, Video Games, Singing/Karaoke, Reading, Collecting Fantasy Art / Sculptures / Prints / Swords / Masks, etc

  • 2 short haired black cats (sisters; Pepper & Mochi) and 1 "questionable" Chihuahua; named GiGi

  • Unfortunately, my current living situation is in a state of flux at the moment (since life has decided to go and shake a few things up). So, right now, I live with my two youngest children (17 and 14), our three adorable fur-babies (2 cats and 1 dog), and a rotating door of house guests and roommates. We also my son’s regular caregiver (who aids us three nights a week), and my children’s biological father who participates when he can.

  • I have 5 children (3 girls and 2 boys) in total - ranging in ages from 28 to 14, with one granddaughter who is 12.

  • Born and raised in Washington State. The furthest I've ever moved from home was when I lived in Spokane for a couple years.

  • COVID took much of my life away from me. Before Covid, I worked and danced and had an active, thriving social life. Since Covid? I haven’t been the same. The virus itself triggered my Fibromyalgia, a condition that I didn't even know I had ... until it nearly destroyed my abily to walk. Not to mention the pure abject fear and anxiety that even a simple trip out of the house would cause me. With the shift in school health regulations, and then the ultimate transition to online classrooms, my nearly 20 years in the local school district also came to an end. This left, not only, my health adversely affected, but so was my livihood and the social structures that I had developed for myself. However, I have learned that no matter what Covid might have done to me … I’m not ready to stop fighting. Since the rise of Covid, I have managed to graduate with a Masters Degree in Psychology and I am now able to stand and walk for short periods of time. And I’ve learned that this is not the end … it’s just a new kind of beginning.

  • I would love to travel - all around the world even. However, I've only made it up and down the West Coast, with a brief stint in Florida while visiting Disney World. But I would absolutely love to have the opportunity to travel around the world someday; visit new and strange places, and experience what is out there for myself. I'd love to go and visit Nessy, or the castles in Germany, the great stone heads on Easter Island or even Stonehenge. Just show me those fairy circles and set me loose on an adventure!

  • I'm an avid concert lover! My first concert was Match Box 20 with my best friend; Trista. Since then I've seen: Metallica, Avenged Seven Fold, Five Finger Death Punch, Avatar, In This Moment, Shinedown, Halestorm, New Years Day, 30 Seconds to Mars, Ron Pope, Linkin Park, Disturbed, Evanescence, Lindsey Sterling ... did I mention that I love concerts? Music is my language. It so often speaks for me when I can't.

  • I have a deep love for the band Linkin Park. Now, while I prefer them with Chester Bennington as lead singer, I have grown to really appreciate the new incarnation of the band since his death. Linkin Park has been the soundtrack for some of the worst moments in my life. I’ve found that their music speaks for me in a way that nothing else can. In fact, one of my fondest memories was when I took my son to their concert for his 14th birthday (which also happened to be his very first concert in general). I don’t care how old I get or how bent I become, I will always be a hard core Linkin Park kinda girl.

  • I've had a complicated relationship with food for a very long time. So when I think of a favorite meal, I have conflicted feelings. Instead, I like to think of something that is comforting ... that doesn't leave me feeling guilty. I miss my ex-fiance’s nachos, or my mom’s lasagna. A lot of times its really the company that makes the meal. I've had cucumber sandwiches with my kids when they were small ... and I would tell you that they were some of the best I’d ever eaten. I remember cheese spread on saltine crackers and little smokie sausages eaten late at night, when I spent weekends at my grandma’s house. Nothing tastes as good as the memory of it means to me.