05/06/2026
A beloved member of the Chadwick family passed away recently, and we wanted to share a little about her and the impact she had on so many of us.
Barbara Ryan, LCSW, ACSW, BCD, was licensed in 1983 and dedicated her life’s work to supporting children exposed to trauma, youth who were housing insecure, children in residential & foster care, and social work students entering the field. Her reach was significant. She served in many roles across San Diego, including Protective Services Worker at San Diego Child Protective Services; Director of the YMCA Counseling Department; Social Worker at San Diego Center for Children; Senior Psychiatric Social Worker at San Diego County Mental Health; Lecturer at San Diego State University School of Social Work; and Director of Clinical Services at Chadwick Center, Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. At Chadwick, Barbara secured funding and built the Trauma Counseling Program, strengthened treatment by centering evidence-based practices such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Parent Child Interactive Therapy, and—true to who she was – provided therapy herself.
The extent of Barbara’s impact is evident when looking at how many organizations she served, but this is only part of her story. At Chadwick, she had a way of making you feel important, that you mattered – even if you were a nervous SDSU student interviewing for her field placement or a seasoned therapist who was facing daily the world’s struggles. Her smile lit up the room and put everyone at ease. She didn’t just ask questions from a place of curiosity but embodied curiosity in how she engaged with you so that you never felt judged or blamed. It is from this space that she connected and held so many of us. She believed in us, helped us grow and showed through action that every person deserves dignity and that hope belongs in every room of our Children’s Advocacy Center.
Our hearts might be heavy, but our spirits are strong holding in gratitude the care, leadership, and humanity she brought to this work and to each of us at Chadwick for over 20 years.
