Psychiatrist · Humanitarian · Adviser
In my experience, instability is what invites us into transformation.
Dr. Suzan Song is a Harvard and Stanford-trained psychiatrist who has spent two decades inside some of the most extreme human experiences there are, from Silicon Valley founders to government officials to survivors of war. What she found across all of them shaped everything she now teaches about how we heal.
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Three Friends of Winter
A monthly letter from a psychiatrist who has spent two decades with war survivors and Silicon Valley founders in the same career. Clear thinking about how we make decisions, carry responsibility, and stay grounded when the ground keeps moving.
You've been handed a script, a costume, and pushed onto a stage. At first, you know you're acting. Over time, you forget it's an act.- Dr. Suzan Song, on Narrative
About
A psychiatrist, anthropologist and global mental-health expert who explores how instability, trauma, and human connection shape the way we suffer - and the ways we heal.
Suzan Song, MD, MPH, PhD has spent more than two decades bridging clinical care, humanitarian crises, public policy, and systems transformation. In her practice, she works with high-performing CEOs, founders, political figures, and physicians navigating private crises. In the field, she has worked with former child soldiers in Sierra Leone and Burundi, displaced families in Haiti and the DRC, and Syrian refugees in Jordan.
What connects these seemingly different populations is surprisingly universal: our shared vulnerability and capacity for both suffering and healing.
Why We Suffer and How We Heal
Harmony / Penguin Random House · 2026
"An exceptional contribution to the literature, akin to Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning."
- Joseph C. Kolars, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan
Learn MoreThe power of ritual lies not in what is said but in what is felt. Not all emotions need to be processed verbally. Sometimes words just get in the way.- Dr. Suzan Song, on Ritual
Speaking & Advisory
For leaders who know the hardest work is the work within
Dr. Song speaks and advises across sectors, from Fortune 500 companies and philanthropic foundations to government agencies and global health organizations. Her clients have included Google, Harvard, Stanford, and the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security.
Keynote Speaking
Instability, resilience, leadership
Foundations & Philanthropy
Mental health, migration, trauma
Humanitarian & Global Health
Conflict-affected populations
Executive & Organizational
Performance, culture, change
Government & Public Sector
Trauma-informed federal policy
Clinical Services
Individual and organizational care
Speaking & Advisory Inquiry
For conferences, foundations, government agencies, humanitarian organizations, and leadership teams navigating complex human challenges.
When purpose is missing, success feels empty. The difference is between living with meaning and simply making it through.- Dr. Suzan Song, on Purpose
