social work
With over five decades of service, Susan Matorin is a highly experienced clinical social worker who is dedicated to serving clients in the New York City area. She currently runs a successful clinic practice, which forms part of a group of specialists residing at Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Psychiatry.
Ms. Matorin divides her time between a clinic practice (Payne Whitney/New York Presbyterian Hospital) in work with individuals with serious psychiatric disorders; and as a faculty member of the Physicians Organization treats individuals, couples and families with significant emotional stressors.
As Past President of the Columbia School of Social Work she remains an active alum, and chairs the Lucille Austin Lecture series which has engaged prominent speakers to address urgent social issues : eviction, children at the border, and this year the assault on women’s reproductive rights
Ms. Matorin began her academic studies at Vassar College, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1964. She then graduated from Columbia School of Social Work in 1966 with a Master of Science Degree, following this with her ACSW credentials.
A successful career then followed, which included numerous prestigious positions, including the Chief of Social Work for Washington Heights Community Service at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, the Chief of Ambulatory Social Work in Psychiatry at the New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Director of Social Work at the Payne Whitney Clinic Weil Cornell (1981-1997) and other Subsequent roles such as Program Director of the Cornell Psychiatry Intensive Outpatient Program, and the Treatment Coordinator of the Affective Disorder Team.
At Weil Cornell Ms. Matorin currently works with individuals, couples and families of patients suffering from severe psychiatric disorders in the clinic and physician’s organization (Private Practice).
Keen to support the next generation of healthcare professionals, Ms. Matorin for many years held the position of Adjunct Associate Professor at the Columbia School of Social Work, where she taught a course entitled ‘Social Work with Families’. She also served as member of the Board for the Martha K. Selig Educational Institute (Jewish Board).
Alongside her educational contributions, Ms. Matorin is a published author, providing her unique insight into a variety of topics including family treatment with adolescents, collaboration with pastoral care, psychopharmacology for social workers, the corporatization of mental health care, and stigma. Her authored work includes “Letters, Science, The New York Times Company” in 2016, “Social Workers: Finding Solutions For Real Problems”, “Thriving at 70 and Beyond,” “Programs Offer People with Schizophrenia a Greater Role in their Own Care,” “Clutter Is In The Eye of The Beholder,” “Still Stressed About My Grades,” “Finding Joy in Social Work,” and “An Interdisciplinary Team to Inform Patient Decisions.” She also delivered a panel presentation at the Fountainhouse on the topic of “Getting Better Health Care for Your Mind and Body”.
Ms. Matorin remains up to date with the latest industry developments through her Board
Membership of the Helen Rehr Center for Social Work Practice where she was most recently Chair. She is an executive member of the New York City Chapter of the Society for Social Work Leaders in Healthcare. She holds membership to a number of prestigious organizations the National Association of Social Workers, the Academy of Certified Social Workers, and the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care. Furthermore, she holds the status of Fellow of the American Orthopsychiatry Association.
The esteemed professional was honored to have served on the Education/Research Committee of the HealthCare Chaplaincy and especially proud to be featured in the marketing campaign promotional video called “Any Given Day” for Help Starts Here – a project of the National Association of Social Work, Board of Children and Family Services.
Ms. Matorin has been the recipient of multiple awards and accolades over the years including
the Hyman J. Weiner Award from the Society for Social Work Leaders in HealthCare in 2006, the Centennial Award in 1998, and a Distinguished Service Medal from Columbia University in 1989.
Looking back on her successes to date, Ms. Matorin is extremely proud of her achievements and dedicates this honor to her late husband. Dr. Friedman was a consummate psychiatrist and renowned psychoanalytic scholar in the field of sexual orientation and gender, a bridge builder between dynamic psychiatry and neurobiology. He was her biggest champion personally and for these professional honors. In addition, she would like to thank her son Jeremiah (screen Writer) and daughter in-law Rebecca Locken (Clinical Social worker) her grandchildren Tess Vivienne, and Theo Dylan.