Erin Baer, M.S.W., LCSW

Erin Baer is a licensed clinical social worker who holds a dual major in clinical practice and human service management from Fordham University. She maintains a private practice and is a professor at Smith College, Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service, and Brooklyn College. Baer has taught social justice, organizational psychology, family therapy, lifespan development, counseling skills/techniques, and other content areas. Baer has supported, mentored, and trained hundreds of new social workers as they entered the field and provided professional development on school violence prevention, Motivational Interviewing, peer counseling, and other topics.

Baer has worked extensively with schools and young people. She launched a satellite mental health clinic at an elementary school on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and served as a counselor at a GED program in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. She also taught all subjects in GED programs at various community-based organizations. As an advocate for young people, Baer has worked to change school sexual harassment policies with Girls for Gender Equity.

During and before her time as a social worker, she maintains a focus on social justice as an activist. This included a position with Lambda Legal where she worked on pivotal LGBTQ issue including transgender workplace discrimination and marriage equality. Her postgraduate education includes studies in relational psychotherapy from The Stephen Mitchell Relational Study Center and in-depth training in Motivational Interviewing with the NYC Thrive Initiative.