Title: 1) Associate Director of Field Education, 2) Faculty Fields Liaison and Admission Reader, 3) Coach Counselor

Company: 1) Metropolitan State University of Denver, 2) Smith College School for Social Work, 3) Divorce Busting

Location: Denver, Colo.

Passionate about helping others, Susie Ryder provides her clients with top-notch work as associate director of field education for Metropolitan State University of Denver, faculty fields liaison and admission reader for Smith College School for Social Work, and coach counselor for Divorce Busting. In her educational roles, she oversees field seminar curriculum for second year master’s level students, meets with students and supervisors, oversees and creates new sites, troubleshoots problems, and oversees internship placements. Through her other work with Divorce Busting, a private counseling practice, Ms. Ryder provides counseling services to couples in need of support. She advises hopeful social work professionals to find their passion, attributing her own success to teamwork and her positive attitude. 

Ms. Ryder has wanted to help people since she was a child, and she also attributes her success to her wish to foster success in others. In 1991, she earned a Master of Social Work from Smith College, following a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1986. Highly-qualified for her field, Ms, Ryder is a licensed clinical social worker and is pursuing an addictions counselor license. Her areas of field-relevant expertise include children and adolescents, mental health and suicide prevention.

In her work, Ms. Ryder draws upon 15 years of past experience managing an impatient unit, serving as a clinical director of a residential program and providing therapy for youth and families in schools. Her compassionate nature also exhibits itself in her support of charities such as Chloe’s Closet and Hope Coalition, and she is a member of the National Association for Social Workers and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. As she grows professionally, Ms. Ryder hopes to continue to be a lifelong learner.