New Chesapeake Life Center director has decades of experience with organization

Hospice of the Chesapeake recently announced that Susan Coale, LCSW-C, has been promoted to Director of Chesapeake Life Center which provides grief and loss counseling to individuals, children and families.

Coale, who started as a volunteer in 1990, joined the nonprofit professionally in 2005 and has served in several roles, most recently as the center’s clinical manager where she oversaw all aspects of the clinical care.

The community already has experienced her role as a leader in the field of traumatic loss, as Coale is instrumental in the development of the nonprofit’s professional continuing education programs. The workshops and seminars she and her colleagues have developed have become sought after learning opportunities for schools, health and aging institutions and clinical professionals. Also, she and fellow Chesapeake Life Center licensed clinical social worker Sarah Montgomery co-authored “Supporting Children after a Suicide Loss: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers,” which was published in 2015 and available for purchase through Amazon.

“Susan’s vision and collaboration with the team has elevated our status in the fields of grief and loss,” CEO and President Ben Marcantonio said. He added that Hospice of the Chesapeake and Chesapeake Life Center are frequently the experts people turn to for help when dealing with grief and loss, whether it’s through illness or trauma. “Susan’s expertise and initiative is an important factor in that status.”

“It has been an honor to serve grieving individuals and families in my role as counselor over the years. They have taught me so much about love and loss, healing and growth through difficult times,” Coale said. “I work with an extraordinary team of professionals, and am pleased to have this opportunity to continue to serve our hospice families and the broader community in new ways.”

Coale lives in Arnold, Maryland, with her husband of 39 years. She has two grown daughters.

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Caring for life throughout the journey with illness and loss is the mission of Hospice of the Chesapeake. For more information, please visit www.hospicechesapeake.org.