The Power of Us

Susan Kossak is a professor of social work, consultant, workshop designer, trainer and speaker with extensive experience in a variety of venues.

In particular, Susan’s work in the areas of mentoring and relationship-building across cultures and environments has established her reputation as an expert with unique insights and approaches in the field. Susan has written a book, due for release in Spring 2011, about her experience mentoring a woman who was able to break free from negative cycles and use her life experiences as the impetus for her growth.

The book, Reaching In, Reaching Out, features conversations between Susan and her mentee, Johnnetta McSwain, on a variety of relevant topics, including the roles of both mentor and mentee, boundaries and trust, readying oneself for change, and embracing success. The book’s unique format allows readers to glean valuable insights into the mentor- mentee relationship from both perspectives, and to consider ideas not emphasized elsewhere, such as the importance of reciprocity and self-care. Susan wrote Reaching In, Reaching Out to offer a helpful guide to mentoring, and to tell the inspirational story of the powerful transformations that occurred when two people from seemingly different worlds reached within themselves, reached out to one another, and found themselves believing in each other—and their own selves— more than they ever thought possible.

Susan recently collaborated with Georgia Public Broadcasting in the creation of a documentary featuring the life story of her mentee. The Road Beyond Abuse was narrated by Jane Fonda and was awarded a Southeast Regional Emmy in July 2010. Additionally, under Susan’s mentorship Johnnetta McSwain created a copyrighted twelve-step model for breaking negative life cycles; together they have presented this model in a workshop entitled Breaking the Cycle, Beating the Odds to the Georgia Chapter of National Association of Social Workers, Clark Atlanta Television, and various professional development workshops for continuing education credits. Susan also has been interviewed or featured as an expert on mentoring, negative behavior patterns and child abuse by Georgia Public Broadcasting, as well as Clark Atlanta University Television and Radio.

Sought-out for her skills as a consultant and trainer, Susan has designed an assessment module for the Department of Children and Family Services, created and facilitated a culturally competent training workshop for The Center for Child and Family Studies at the University of South Carolina, and developed a field supervisors’ workshop for Radford University. In addition, her expertise was utilized in the development and facilitation of focus groups at Total Action Against Poverty (TAP) in Roanoke, Virginia. Susan’s scholarly articles focus on cultural sensitivity and have been published in such journals as Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, Social Work Education and Social Justice in Context.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in psychology, a Master of Social Work degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over twenty years experience as a clinical therapist.