Trainer Biography
Susan Wingfield-Ritter, LMFT, MAC, Member of MINT, 2019
Susan Wingfield-Ritter, LMFT, MAC, and Member of MINT, 2019 is the Senior Clinical Director of McAlister Institute for Treatment and Education. McAlister is a drug and alcohol treatment agency that offers co-occurring mental health treatment to individuals and their families at 22 programs throughout San Diego County. Susan has led McAlister in creating a co-occurring team to implement the Comprehensive Continuous System of Care (CCISC). She is the lead on the McAlister Intervention Team, which supports families and friends in providing strength-based, trauma-informed interventions for individuals with alcohol/drug and/or co-occurring complex issues. She has worked closely with Dr. Ken Minkoff and Dr. Chris Cline and been part of the Zia Partners Training Team. Susan trains McAlister direct services staff in Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Relapse Prevention Skills. She has championed the MI Learning Community at McAlister and the inclusion of Trauma Sensitive Curriculum such as Expressive Arts in Transition (EXIT) at McAlister’s Kiva Women and Children’s Program.
Susan has been a past co-chair for the CCISC CADRE. She has provided training in the CCISC Model since 2004 and with RIHS (formerly BHETA) since 2009. She has also worked with RIHS’s Geriatric Training Program, providing training in Older Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health issues.
Susan has maintained a private practice in Old Town, San Diego for the past 22 years. She specializes in working with individuals, couples, and families whose relationships have been affected by co-occurring drug and alcohol, trauma, and mental health issues. Her career in social services has spanned the last 26 years. It includes working for Child Protective Services, in the Juvenile Repeat Offender Prevention Program (Project 8%), and for Children, Youth, and Family Network (CYFN) wraparound program. Susan was the supervisor of the 24/7 Rapid Response Team at CYFN which provided emergency support for children and their families in lieu of calling the PERT Team.