Photo credit: Susan Lebowitz
Suzan Song, MD, PhD, is a Harvard- and Stanford-trained psychiatrist and internationally recognized adviser working at the intersection of mental health, humanitarian crises, and public policy. Over more than two decades, her work has spanned clinical care, conflict-affected settings, and systems-level leadership, supporting individuals and institutions operating under sustained strain. Drawing on this experience, Dr. Song brings a grounded perspective on how trauma and prolonged uncertainty shape human behavior, and what helps people and systems recover over time.
Why We Suffer and How We Heal, Dr. Song’s debut book, publishes February 24, 2026. Described as “a gift of empathy and lived wisdom—rare, real, and deeply human,” the book offers a clear and accessible framework for understanding suffering and recovery. Integrating clinical insight with humanitarian experience, Dr. Song introduces three core capacities that support resilience in uncertain conditions: Narrative, Ritual, and Purpose.
Dr. Song is a sought-after speaker for philanthropic foundations, global organizations, corporations, and public institutions, including Google, Harvard, Stanford, and U.S. federal agencies. Whether addressing senior leaders navigating instability, parents seeking to better understand child and adolescent neurobiology, or mission-driven organizations facing burnout and moral injury, she translates complex psychological and social science into practical insight grounded in real-world contexts. Audiences value her ability to combine intellectual rigor with clarity and care, leaving them better equipped to act thoughtfully under pressure.
Dr. Song has advised U.S. federal agencies including the Departments of State, Justice, and Homeland Security, consulted with United Nations agencies, and provided multiple Congressional testimonies on child protection and human trafficking. She is based in Washington, D.C.
In this talk, psychiatrist and humanitarian adviser Suzan Song draws on her clinical work, global experience, and forthcoming book Why We Suffer and How We Heal to examine why suffering so often persists—even when resources, insight, or good intentions are present. She introduces three core capacities that support healing over time—Narrative, Ritual, and Purpose—and explores how these show up in individual lives, families, and institutions facing uncertainty. Grounded in real-world examples, this talk offers a thoughtful framework for understanding resilience that goes beyond optimism or self-improvement, and toward steadier ways of living and leading in unstable times.
[Audiences: Foundations, book events, leadership convenings, mixed audiences]
Many leaders are operating in conditions where clarity is limited, timelines are unclear, and the pressure to act is constant. Drawing on her work advising institutions in humanitarian, policy, and organizational settings, Dr. Suzan Song explores how prolonged uncertainty affects judgment, trust, and decision-making—and what helps leaders stay grounded when resolution isn’t immediately available. This talk focuses on how individuals and institutions can avoid reactive cycles, preserve legitimacy, and make more thoughtful choices under sustained strain.
[Audiences: Philanthropic foundations, boards, executive teams, senior leadership retreats]
People working in mission-driven roles are often asked to absorb distress while continuing to perform, decide, and lead. In this talk, Dr. Suzan Song draws on two decades of work in humanitarian response, public policy, and clinical care to explore the quieter forms of strain that accumulate over time—burnout, moral injury, and erosion of purpose. She offers practical ways individuals and organizations can sustain capacity, set healthier boundaries around responsibility, and remain effective without becoming hardened or depleted. This session is especially relevant for organizations committed to long-term impact rather than short-term crisis response.
[Audiences: NGOs, foundations, global organizations, federal agencies]
Ongoing change, job insecurity, and organizational instability place real strain on the nervous system—often without being recognized as such. In this talk, Dr. Suzan Song helps leaders and teams understand how stress shows up in everyday workplace behavior, from withdrawal and reactivity to conflict and burnout. Drawing on neuroscience and organizational insight, she offers practical ways to reduce unnecessary strain, improve communication, and support steadier functioning at work. The focus is not on wellness as a perk, but on creating conditions where people can think clearly and work more sustainably.
[Audiences: Corporations, leadership teams, people managers]
Dr. Suzan Song shares what decades of clinical, global, and research work reveal about pain, suffering, and healing in an interview on the Good Life Project podcast.
February 24, 2026
A psychiatrist who has dedicated her life to treating global survivors of unspeakable horrors shares the three keys to resilience that we can use to weather stress, loss, and trauma in our own lives.
