Biography
Susan Rhema, MSW, LCSW, PhD serves as the Program Director of the MSSW program at Kent School of Social Work and Family Science. Dr. Rhema has been an instructor at the Kent School for 15 years teaching in the BSW, MSSW, and the DSW programs. Dr. Rhema has over 45 years of social work practice experience that includes international community development in several countries, NGO program administration, hospice program administration, and therapy private practice.
Dr. Rhema has worked with survivors of human trafficking in Kentucky and throughout the United States for over 15 years. Working with individuals who have experienced labor and sex trafficking, Dr. Rhema provides clinical assessment, treatment, and forensic evaluation. In addition to traditional clinical services, Dr. Rhema has specialized in mind body and somatic integrated techniques that address the physiological symptomology of trauma.
Dr. Rhema served as the Clinical Director for the Survivor of Torture Recovery Center in Louisville Kentucky from it's inception in 2010 until 2018. Dr. Rhema has worked with survivors of torture and human trafficking, refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers from more than 20 different language groups. Dr. Rhema has formal training in multiple treatment modalities including Mind Body Medicine, Energy Psychology, Kalimasada Tetada, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, (EMDR).
Dr. Rhema has over thirty years of consulting experience with agencies throughout the United States including conducting program evaluation and training in the areas of trauma treatment, trauma-informed care, cross-cultural psychological assessment, and cross-cultural competency.
Dr. Rhema has lived in Kenya, Peru, and Mexico and traveled to over 25 countries in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Asia while working with international agencies, evaluating programs and personnel.
Research Interests
Dr. Rhema's research areas include refugee/immigrant acculturation, whole health pracrices, mindfulness practices, and use of motivational interviewing. Current research includes evaluating the effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing training for caseworkers in refugee resettlement with funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Rhema’s doctoral research was titled, Predicting Emotional Distress in Recently Arrived Adult Refugees.
Degrees and Certifications
University of Louisville, Louisville, , 2009-2024
University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, , 1981-1983
Kentucky Board of Social Workers, , 7-2004