Suzy Ritholz

Suzy Ritholz , PhD, LCSW-R, is the Director of Social Services at Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE).   In this position, Suzy is responsible for the administrative and clinical oversight of:  SAGECAP (Sage Caring and Preparing),  an award-winning program (2011 recipient of Today’s Caregiver’s Caregiver Friendly Program Award) that assists Baby Boomers with caregiving as well as preparing for their own future retirement/aging needs; the Friendly Visitor Program, established in 1979, the nation’s first LGBT program of its kind;  the nation’s first municipally funded LGBT caregiver respite program, which cares for the needs of more than 500 caregivers and older adults; and all SAGE mental health initiatives contracted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. SAGE’s Department of Social Services provides in-person and electronic group counseling, short-term individual counseling, home visits, and comprehensive case management.

Prior to joining SAGE, Suzy spent 10 years in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, at Interfaith Medical Center (IMC), where she served as the Unit Chief for IMC's Continuing Day Treatment Program, a multidisciplinary program that addresses the biopsychosocial needs of more than 140 severely and persistently mentally ill adults. Dr. Ritholz is on the Board of Directors of the Rainbow Heights Club, a psychosocial club in Brooklyn, that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender consumers requiring mental health services. She received her BA, MSW and PhD degrees from New York University, and interned at The Institute for Human Identity and The Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. Dr. Ritholz’s most recent research focused on mental health recovery from the perspective of client self-determination and the therapeutic alliance.