Susan J. Elliott (born November 19, 1956) is an American author, media commentator, and lawyer from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She wrote the book, ''Getting Past Your Breakup: How to Turn a Devastating Loss Into the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You.''

Personal life and education

Susan Jean Elliott was born on November 19, 1956, in

and grew up in the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. She was in

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family mem ...

and was adopted at the age of eight. She says that as a young adult, she involved herself in dangerous and destructive relationships. She married and had sons with her first husband, whom she divorced in 1987. She earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in English from

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

, where she became a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

and graduated ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

''. She went on to earn a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

degree from

Cambridge College Cambridge College is a private college based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It also operates regional centers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Springfield, Massachusetts, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and Rancho Cucamonga, California. There is a ...

, and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from the

UC Berkeley School of Law The University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Berkeley Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of California, Berkeley. The school was commonly referred to as "Boalt Hall" for many years, although it was ...

. She was admitted to practice law in New York in 2005. She married Michael A. DiCarlo on November 23, 1996. When he died in 2009 from

brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...

, she established the Michael A. DiCarlo Memorial Fund with the National Brain Tumor Society.

Writing and speaking career

Elliot's book, ''Getting Past Your Breakup: How to Turn A Devastating Loss Into the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You'' (

Da Capo Press Da Capo Press is an American publishing company with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. It is now an imprint of Hachette Books. History Founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers, it had additional offi ...

Lifelong Learning Books, May 2009) details the program she created for dealing with breakups and divorce. The book compares the impact of a breakup to the impact of a death and recommends similar approaches to grief counseling. The book was selected as the top 2009 breakup book by About.com. As of May 25, 2013, the book was in 161 libraries according to WorldCat. She appears as a relationship expert, and has been quoted in the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' and '' Glamour''. She started "Heartbreak Bootcamp", an intensive six week course designed for those having difficulty moving on, performs presentations, and gives weekend seminars.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Susan American women bloggers American bloggers American motivational speakers American women motivational speakers American women psychologists 21st-century American psychologists American self-help writers Writers from the Bronx American commentators Mount Holyoke College alumni UC Berkeley School of Law alumni 1956 births Living people American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American psychologists People from Soundview, Bronx