Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW is an award winning psychotherapist, author, advocate and mental health expert who was president of Postpartum Support International, (2006 - 2008), the organization’s vice-president and Conference Chair (2005 - 2006) and currently chairs PSI’s President’s Advisory Council (2008 - 2010). While at PSI, she was a consultant in the development of a national postpartum depression public service announcement campaign with CBS Cares. She is a NJHSS Certified Perinatal Mood Disorders Instructor, and an Adjunct Lecturer in the MSW program at the Silver School of Social Work, New York University, where she presents on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Interpersonal Psychotherapy.
Ms. Stone received her MSW from New York University where she was the recipient of a President’s Service Award. Additional and recent awards include The Mental Health Association Golden Bell Award (May, 2009) the Logan Leadership Award (August, 2009), and the Hudson Perinatal Consortium Community Partner Award (November 2009). On Veterans Day, November, 2009, she was invited to join First Lady Michelle Obama, Second Lady Jill Biden and Alma Powell on stage at George Washington University as national partners in Mission: Serve were announced.
While working at Hackensack University Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry, she helped form and facilitate the Postpartum Psychotherapy program which helped assess, identify and treat women at risk or diagnosed with perinatal mood disorders. She also offered socialization groups for new mothers and their babies, as well as individual and group therapy specifically supportive to recovery from perinatal mood disorders. Ms. Stone has received numerous other awards for her initiation and implementation of other programs supportive to mental health, including animal assisted therapy.
Ms. Stone was a contributor to the NJ Governor’s Task Force Educational Webinar on postpartum depression and is a frequent author and cited resource on the topic of perinatal mental health; recent writings include Perinatal and Postpartum Mood Disorders: Perspectives and Treatment Guide for the Healthcare Practitioner (Stone & Menken, eds, Springer, 2008), an article in the NJ Psychological Association’s journal Empowering PPD Recovery with Dialectical Behavior Therapy and a chapter on the treatment of perinatal mood disorders in a graduate textbook entitled Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Clinical Social Work Practice, the first of its kind for social workers with a foreword by Aaron Beck. (Ronen & Freeman, Springer, 2006). Her Powerpoint presentation, “Telling the Birth Story”, has been widely resourced around the world by healthcare facilities, agencies and mental health professionals as a guide for those interested in implementing PPD programs.
She regularly presents on women’s reproductive mental health issues at educational conferences, seminars and in the media; national television appearances have included the CBS Early Show, ABC News, NJN News, NBC News, The New Morning Show (Hallmark), A Place of Our Own (PBS), the Morning Show (FOX) and many others including Washing DC based radio host Jonathan Emord's show Health, Law and Politics.
At the invitation of congressional leaders, she has presented at Capitol Hill Press Conference with Brooke Shields and other notable advocates on this issue, spoken at Congressional briefings and is frequently invited to contribute viewpoint or review pending legislation, media content or commentary relevant to PPD issues and emerging research. She is a nationally recognized advocate for the credentialing, promotion and adoption of evidenced based treatments in clinical programs for all licensed mental health professionals. She is a public reviewer for the National Institute of Mental Health.
Ms. Stone also offers audio posts and commentary for EmpowHer.com In addition, she performs legal case review in which perinatal mental health issues may be a cause of action. To see a current listing of her presentations and appearances, click here.
She is also an Executive National Board Member of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies .
Volunteer roles include board membership in Angel on a Leash, which supports and promotes the implementation of certified therapy dog programs across the country in medical and mental health settings and the facilitation of a pet bereavement group at Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus NJ to help those mourning the loss of animal companions.
Ms. Stone maintains a private practice in Englewood Cliffs, NJ called Blue Skye Consulting LLC, specializing in women’s reproductive mental health across the life cycle, trauma treatment, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, DBT and EMDR.
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