| “ | Just because you stopped being my patient doesn't mean I stopped caring about you. | ” |
— Anne to Emily
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Dr. Anne Sullivan is a major supporting character in Pretty Little Liars on Freeform and its spinoff Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on HBO Max. She is portrayed by Annabeth Gish.
Dr. Sullivan is an expert in adolescent trauma who helps the Liars cope with the loss of Alison, their stalker, and obsession with solving Alison's murder. After finishing with Rosewood, Sullivan moved to the neighboring town of Millwood, where she was hired to help a group of traumatized girls after they survived a harrowing ordeal, but her own secrets continue to threaten her patient's progress.
Biography
Anne Sullivan was born in Millwood, Pennsylvania, where she lived with her family until she received her degree in psychology. She was hired at the Radley Sanitarium in Rosewood to treat deeply disturbed patients. She treated Rose Waters in the early 2000s. Rose spun a tale of about the boy she left behind in a cage. Anne visited Rose's former home and found the cage and Archie Waters, a deeply traumatized boy who was more animal than human. She was terrified but when she alerted the sheriffs days later, Archie was long gone. Anne spent the next several years with a sense of paranoia and fear that her Bogeyman was watching her. She helped the Millwood sheriff department handle criminal cases and continued to help traumatized teens. She eventually settled in Rosewood, where she had a son in 2002. In 2018, he was murdered by a stranger in the woods, though Anne suspected Archie was to blame. She could never prove it and wasn't the same after her son's death.
Personality
Anne is a therapist with a strong sense of self and a desire to help others with their mental health journeys. She has a way of getting her patients to open up to her despite their apprehensions. She has many psychological talents, including the ability to put her patients in catharsis and role playing with them to help them overcome trauma.
Physical Appearance
Pretty Little Liars
Season 2
Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, and Emily Fields sit silently is Sullivan's office. Hanna Marin walks in late, hoping to have missed the whole appointment, but to her annoyance, the girls have ‘politely’ waited for her. When they finally do get to talking, they speak minimally. Aria is the most tempted to confide in the inviting Dr. Sullivan, but their cell phones go off, scaring them with reminders of "A" finding anything out. They leave, thereby leaving Dr. Sullivan completely in the dark.
Later, the girls discuss "A's" violent tendencies and bring up Dr. Sullivan, who is sworn to confidentiality, and Emily and Aria are the loudest proponents in favor of cluing her in on their secrets. Spencer agrees, and even Hanna, the most unwilling to see a shrink, is in, as she approves of Dr. Sullivan’s fashion sense.
Once at Dr. Sullivan’s office, the girls are ready to tell all, until they catch sight of Ezra's Hollis diploma on the wall, a subtle hint from "A" that she is privy to everything they say. They had scheduled the appointment impromptu, yet they suddenly cancel, leaving Dr. Sullivan completely baffled and frustrated with the lack of communication. She had noticed that their decision to turn back, once on the brink of telling her, stemmed from one of the girls and slowly spread to the other four, but can’t figure out why. She believes that the girls are frustrating their attempts at therapy by coming as a group and so she recommends to their parents to have them separate for a while, both within sessions and without.
At the end of that episode, she walks from her office, onto the fact that she is being stalked, and frightened as a result.
Later, she helps Hanna move on from Alison's mental haunting through catharsis and role play.
Sullivan returns to Rosewood High School in preparation of her upcoming speaking engagement. There, she bumps into Ella Montgomery, who confides in her about Mike's issues. Dr. Sullivan professionally tells Ella that she does not recommend siblings seeing the same therapist, and so, agrees to give her referrals.
Later, Dr. Sullivan spots Emily at her locker, struggling with some books that have fallen out and goes to assist her. She immediately picks up on Emily's anxiety vibes and offers to help her if only Emily will confide in her. Emily makes a confession that she has been hiding big things from Dr. Sullivan, who in turn, urges her to schedule an appointment and share her thoughts in her office. Emily nods, but later does not follow through.
After "A" terrifies Emily by giving her a massage, Emily contemplates dialing Dr. Sullivan, but hesitates after "A" sends a threatening text. Later, while Emily is being comforted by her friends regarding the incident, she ignores Dr. Sullivan's incoming call, not telling Hanna who it was. At the end of the episode, Dr. Sullivan is seen returning to a patient in her office, apologizing for having kept her waiting to call another patient. She then comments on being chilly and grabs a sweater off the coat rack, where a black hoodie is also hanging. She sits and asks the patient what she wants to discuss...clearly she is treating "A", but for how long is a mystery.
All four of the girls find her and finally confess about "A" as they are worried about Emily's wellbeing. Dr. Sullivan is understanding and patiently listens to them. Later in the episode, Dr. Sullivan is seen talking to an auditorium of students at Rosewood High School (the Liars, Mona Vanderwaal and Jenna Marshall included) about bulling and text threats. She also talks about how the most important thing to do is to speak out and, with that, shoots a look at the four Liars.
Later, Dr. Sullivan is walking down a street at night near her office, when she receives a phone call. It's a repeat recording of a her own voice incredulously (and fearfully) asking the girls: "I'm the first person you've told." When she hangs up, the person calls again to replay the looped recording. As the camera cuts away from this scene, the look at Dr. Sullivan's face is one of agitation. She tries to enlist the Rosewood Police Force's help, but the two officers, one of which is Garrett Reynolds, insist that they cannot be of much help in figuring out who bugged her office without her revealing the girls' names. However, as she is sworn to confidentiality, she reveals nothing.
She is next shown in her office, looking through the files she had about Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna. Then, she looks at a picture and goes to another file, the file of "A". The identity of "A" is covered up by a sticky note but as Dr. Sullivan reads on, she has a paper about what happened at her conferences with "A". Apparently, "A" always refers to a group of girls he/she does not mention by name as "nosey bitches". Dr. Sullivan has a picture of a message "A" wrote to the girls with the same title, and Dr. Sullivan soon realizes who the identity of "A" is. She calls Emily and tells her to get the others and meet up at her office. However, when the girls arrive, the office is empty. They receive a message from "A" stating: "The doctor is out! -A." This leaves the audience believing that perhaps "A" has taken Dr. Sullivan and she could be in danger.
"A" sends texts to the girls, leading them to believe that Dr. Sullivan is being suffocated and buried alive. "A" sends Aria a picture of Dr. Sullivan posing with that day's issue of The Rosewood Observer. "A" leads the girls to a spot, via coordinates, and texts Hanna that they need to move quickly to uncover Dr. Sullivan. They start digging and find a pair of boots (which look identical to the ones Dr. Sullivan was wearing) and then a mannequin's face. Later, Dr. Sullivan is seen in a diner with "A." She has a grim expression on her face, possibly meaning that "A" blackmailed her somehow. Dr. Sullivan says that she had done everything that "A" asked her to do. "A" hands Dr. Sullivan an envelope marked 'photos', and she leaves with a disgusted look on her face. This indicates that Dr. Sullivan and "A" had worked together, at least in part, and she had never been in danger of suffocating.
After Mona is taken into custody and her alter identity of A is exposed, Dr. Sullivan seeks the girls out. She apologizes to them for abandoning them, explaining how "A" threatened her son. She says it was Toby Cavanaugh's bravery that helped her return. She also explains to the girls the nature of Mona's/A's personality: She has a personality disorder that leads her to self-aggrandizement and obsessiveness. Hanna is the most troubled by the Mona-as-A reveal and is somewhat comforted by Dr. Sullivan's emotional support, acting as their therapist once more, though informally.
Season 3
Emily goes to visit her. When Dr. Sullivan asks her about what happened the night Emily killed Nate for self-defense, Emily says that people think she is some hero but she knows what she did. Dr. Sullivan suggests that Emily tries hypnotherapy, but Emily says she knows exactly what happened. She tells Emily that it may help her see a new perspective and get over what happened.
Later, Dr. Sullivan does hypnotherapy on Emily. When Emily wakes up, Dr. Sullivan is trying to ask her if she sees Paige, Nate, or the lighthouse, but Emily only sees Alison in the yellow shirt the night she died. She tells Emily that she is in a safe place but Emily is scared and believes she killed Alison. She leaves Dr. Sullivan's, saying she has to go.
When Dr. Sullivan is leaving her office later, Mona is waiting outside with a flower pot to put in her office. When Mona tries to observe her office, Dr. Sullivan closes the door and says she is leaving and Mona thanks her for everything she did for her.
She visited Spencer at Radley to analyze her current mental state. Later, she includes Spencer as part of a focus group that she is leading.
Season 6
Dr. Sullivan is first seen at Rosewood High School where she meets Hanna. She tells Hanna that she has opened her office again, and that Hanna is welcome. Hanna tells her that she'll get the other girls to her office.
They then talk at school where Hanna tells her about the games that Charles played with them in the dollhouse.
Hanna is then seen sitting outside her office with Emily and Aria. Dr. Sullivan comes out, but returns to her office quickly to answer a phone call. She goes inside, and then Spencer appears. She tells them about Charles' relationship to Jason, and then they get the video footage of Sara from A. When Sullivan comes out again, they are gone.
When Hanna is at Emily's, she talks to Dr. Sullivan on the phone and apologizes.
Pam Fields makes an appointment for Emily to see Dr. Sullivan again. She thinks it could benefit Emily after her experience in the dollhouse.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin
Season 2
Chapter Eleven: SpookySpaghetti.com
In the years since her time in Rosewood, Dr. Sullivan has moved to Millwood, Pennsylvania, where she sets up a new therapist office. A group of girls are recommended to Dr. Sullivan after enduring extreme trauma at the hands of a masked serial killer. She helps them for approximately six months while their tormentor awaits trial for his crimes.
The last week of school, the girls attend a group therapy session with Dr. Sullivan, who asks how everyone is feeling this week. Imogen speaks for the group in saying it's the same as the last six months - stressed and trapped. Noa is so "over this scary ass bullshit" and wants to have a normal life. On the bright side, Dr. Sullivan relays that Archie's trial is over and the jury is in deliberations. She wants them to put their trust in the justice system, though Faran reminds her that no one here does. Dr. Sullivan asks what they're most afraid of. If they can speak about the worst case scenario it might help. She calls on Mouse. She's afraid Archie Waters will get off by reason of insanity, something Tabby relates to. He could be put in a mental institution and escape again and come after them. Sullivan tells them their feelings are valid. They've been working toward the verdict for months. Either Archie will be sent away to the Welby State Psychiatric Hospital outside of Rosewood, or he'll get the death penalty. She makes sure the girls have kept their phone numbers private as instructed to avoid, as Noa put it, "batshit calls or texts." Noa has spoken to her mom who is still in rehab and is almost six months sober. Sullivan tells them all to take it day by day until the verdict.
Imogen attends a solo session with Dr. Sullivan as she's been struggling lately. She hasn't been taking her anxiety medication because she wants to have her edge when A comes for her. The baby can't defend herself, either. Sullivan reminds Imogen that Archie cannot and will not hurt her. She asks if her recent actions are about her not wanting to let go of Estelle. She references Imogen calling off the adoption for the last couple she picked. Imogen got a weird vibe from "that Ezra dude". Sullivan reminds her the couple lived further away in Rosewood while the Winter's live close by. She looks at the situation logically instead. The adoption papers are sealed, so even if A escapes, he can't find her unless Imogen keeps visiting. She's serving as a beacon for A, pulling him into Estelle's life.
Tabby also has a solo session with Dr. Sullivan. She reads Mrs. Langsberry's essay out loud and expresses frustration. The greatest pain one can feel is the loss of a child, with Sullivan asking if Mrs. Langsberry is wrong to grieve for her son. Tabby is upset that she was called a liar. She has a lot of anger inside. She's angry her best friend raped her. She's disgusted that the whole town thinks he's the victim and that he got away with what he did. She's furious that Mrs. Langsberry gets an entire page in The Millwood Mail, while she's put under a bullshit gag order. She's pissed that she and Imogen never got their day in court, and she's fucking livid that she put her heart and soul into a movie that no one gets to see because it makes her rapist look bad. Sullivan validates her anger and suggests she write her anger down on paper, in print, reminding her that she's a writer and not just a filmmaker.
The verdict in Archie's case arrives on Thursday, and Dr. Sullivan has an old radio on that relays the verdict of the trial. Archie Waters has received the maximum sentence possible, the death penalty. There will be no breakout in this horror sequel. She hopes that brings them some comfort. The question now is if they want to continue therapy or suspend the group. They all want to continue therapy. Tabby thanks Dr. Sullivan as she took her advice and put her rage into words which makes her feel much better. Mrs. Langsberry visits Chip's grave which has been defaced with red spray paint to say RAPIST. In the group, Sullivan is happy to continue the work and help in any way that she can.
The Little Liars head to an afternoon session with Dr. Sullivan, who asks about their first day of summer school. Tabby calls it especially lame while Imogen spirals over not being in Section A with the other girls. This was not the "hot girl summer" that Noa had in mind. Dr. Sullivan notices their frustration, which is warranted. She was a punk in high school and landed herself in summer school more than once. She managed to have a good time despite this. She suggests they reframe their situation. They're only in class for a few hours in the morning which leaves plenty of time to have a "hot girl summer". She tells them to go to the lake, get a part-time job, or have a casual summer fling. Summer school might be epically lame, but it's not life or death, which should be a relief.
Imogen stays behind at Dr. Sullivan's to discuss her meds. She's been having nightmares and maybe hallucinations. One of the hallucinations she had was maybe about her mom. It made Imogen think about her mom's mental health and medication plan, which ultimately wasn't enough. Sullivan suggests finding out the prescriptions she was taking, with Imogen deciding to ask her father. Sullivan assures Imogen that she will be okay.
A few days later, Imogen talks to Dr. Sullivan about the difficulties she's having. Dr. Sullivan introduces the concept of traumatic grief. She has sustained both trauma and grief in a short time, but that doesn't mean she's a lost cause. It just means they have more work to do, including adjusting her medications. Dr. Sullivan wants Imogen to lean on her. Imogen asks for a favor regarding summer school. Dr. Sullivan, chuckling, agrees to call in a recommendation for Imogen to be in the same class as her friends. This relieves Imogen.
Chapter Thirteen: Sweet Sixteen
At a session with Dr. Sullivan, Mouse shares her story about her grandmother. Dr. Sullivan is emphatic and offers to bring her in for an evaluation, but notices something else is brother her. Mouse confesses the prank call she received. Dr. Sullivan recommends talking with the police but Mouse isn’t scared about her safety, she’s annoyed her friends are either too scared to party or don’t like her enough. Mouse relents that perhaps she’s missing her moms.
Chapter Fourteen: When A Stranger Calls Back
After Mouse's attack by Bloody Rose on her birthday, the girls call Sullivan's office to make an emergency appointment. Her office calls back the next day with news that Dr. Sullivan had an accident and is recovering in the hospital. The girls don't think this is a coincidence. Noa recalls how last year A threatened to kill them if they said anything. This person isn't messing around either. They need to keep their heads down and their mouths shut. Imogen will track down Dr. Sullivan, find out the tea, and report it back.
Imogen visits Dr. Sullivan by lying that she's Sullivan's daughter. They all worry about her and want to know what happened. Sullivan was leaving her office, taking the stairs at a late hour, when someone pushed her. She didn't see who it was as they were behind her. She suspects it's a former patient as that's been known to happen. She's fine though, but asks about the urgent-sounding message Imogen left for her the night before. Imogen lies that it was a false alarm. She offers to get Sullivan a pudding cup from the cafeteria and leaves before she can answer.
The next day, Sullivan asks if Imogen has anything else to do on a beautiful day other than spend time with her. They're doing crossword puzzles and this triggers a flashback to Imogen and Davie doing crosswords together when Imogen is in the hospital after a cheerleading accident. She did her first pyramid and is now in a sling. Davie thinks it's time to hang up the cheerleading outfit as it's her job to keep her safe. Sullivan asks where Imogen went just now. She explains she and Davie used to do crossword puzzles together when she was sick or got hurt. Sullivan wishes grief got easier with time, but it's non-linear. She's had her share of loss too. Imogen asks if she can call anyone for her - family or friends, but Sullivan insists she's fine and asks for the next clue.
Imogen is eating pizza with Dr. Sullivan when Rob Winters calls. She decides to take it outside, ultimately leaving to babysit for them.
The girls find the real Rose Waters living in an unhoused encampment. After she evades them by jumping off a bridge, they search Rose's belongings and find her patient file from the Radley. Everything is in there, including the name of her psychiatrist - Dr. Anne Sullivan.
Appearances
Pretty Little Liars (9/140)
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Season 2 (6/25) |
Season 3 (2/24) |
Season 6 (1/20) |
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin
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Season 2 (7/8) |
Notes and Trivia
- Anne is not a character from the books. She's an original character, created specifically for the series. But her character may have been inspired by Dr. Evans, a therapist Veronica Hastings sent her daughters to in Perfect, or Marion Graves, a grief counselor the Liars parents sent them to in Wicked.
- Her name, Anne Sullivan, is the same as Helen Keller's famous mentor. This is perhaps a connection in that she helps others optimize their potential.
- In "I Must Confess", we can see Spencer's and Hanna's birthdays on Dr. Sullivan's files.
- She was the first person that the girls told about "A".
- Shortly after the girls told her about "A", she found out her true identity, being the first person to do so.
- She appears in a bonus scene in 5 Years Forward where she is taking Alison and Jason to see Charlotte.
- Aria admits to Ella to having looked forward to Dr. Sullivan's sessions after a while in "Touched by an 'A'-ngel", despite not having liked being forced to attend in the first place.
- Dr. Sullivan made up Mona's condition for her to avoid jail and remain "A" mostly because Mona blackmailed her.
- After not being seen since Season 3's "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?", she returned in "Songs of Experience", three seasons later.
- The group was going to bring Mona to her after Mona confessed to killing Charlotte but Hanna wasn't because of Mona's condition instead she was sent to Welby in "Farewell my Lovely"
Quotes
Aria [about Anne]: Uh, if she didn't think we were crazy before, she does now. |
Dr. Sullivan [to Emily]: Just because you stopped being my patient doesn't mean I stopped caring about you. |
Dr. Sullivan (at school assembly):These vicious attacks sent by electronic means may as well be carved into stone. |
Hanna [about Anne]: Okay, am I the only one who thinks she's made things worse?! |
Dr. Sullivan [to Liars]: When did this all begin? Did the texts start to come after Alison's funeral? |
Gallery
 Anne Sullivan has a photo gallery. |
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