Ashleigh Ryans
Health Federation of Philadelphia
Trainer
Advocate. Educator. Change Agent.
Ashleigh has been working in the Social Work field for a decade now. She found her passion for social work in Middle School, where she began to recognize the inequities in many of our systems. After High School, Ashleigh studied Social Work at Wheelock College where she had the opportunity to spend 6 months living in Ghana, teaching, and developing sustainable social supports. Subsequently, Ashleigh moved to Philadelphia to complete a year of service City Year where she had the opportunity to prepare students with the social, emotional and academic skills to succeed in and out of school. Ashleigh then moved on to earn her Master's degree in Clinical Social Work at Temple University, specializing in children and Families.
She joins HFP with a wealth of experience in direct services at the Master's level. Ashleigh has worked with survivors of intimate partner violence, sex offenders, people experiencing homelessness, seniors, developmentally disabled children and families, and many other trauma surviors. Her decision to move from her most recent direct practice role at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was a welcomed change of pace as she continues to serve her communities in new and creative ways. Ashleigh continues to serve students as an adjunct professor at Harcum College teaching various courses in their Human Services and Sociology departments.
Fun Fact: Ashleigh taught herself how to play the ukulele while in her undergrad. She also has a dog named Phineas who is named after the cartoon show "Phineas and Ferb". Her plan is to eventually get another dog to complete the pair
Training expertise:
Intimate Partner Violence
How to Support a Loved One through IPV
Keeping Our Seniors in their Homes
Healthy Steps for Seniors
Best Practices for Trauma Informed Approaches
Creating Boundaries to Practice Self Care
Holding Space and Building Rapport
Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder