معرفی
Ruth E. Spencer is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Social Work (SSW) at Smith College, with a long-standing affiliation. She teaches courses integrating law and social work practice, focusing on defensive clinical practice, ethics, and supervision. Her professional background includes family therapy in mental health settings, family and mental health law practice at Legal Aid, and consulting in higher education labor and employment law. She served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Vassar and Oberlin Colleges.
Education: B.A., Oberlin College; M.S.S.A. and J.D., Case Western Reserve University.
Research Interests: Spencer’s work bridges legal and clinical domains, emphasizing ethical practice, policy implications in mental health, and employment law within academic institutions. She contributes to social work education through her teaching and publications.
Publications: Co-authored an article in the 2017 Smith College Studies in Social Work and is currently drafting a chapter on consent in mental health policy.
Professional Contributions: Active in community advocacy via board memberships for social service organizations. Her consulting focuses on institutional legal challenges and human resources strategy in higher education.
