Mette Christiansen, Social Pedagogue, Social Worker, and Director of the Concentration in Human Services at SUNY New Paltz

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Originally a social pedagogue from Denmark, Mette has provided services in both Denmark and the USA to a variety of populations, including children and youth in foster care, children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities, adults in the criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse systems, and Deaf children, youth, and adults. After obtaining her Master’s in Social Work in the US, she has provided individual, group, and family therapy and consulted to agencies seeking to improve their quality of services.

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Mette began her academic career at SUNY Dutchess as a Fieldwork Supervisor and Adjunct and has since 1997 been at SUNY New Paltz teaching in the Concentration in Human Services within the Department of Sociology. Mette became the Director of the Concentration in Human Services in 2003. Mette's teaching is informed by her social pedagogical work and her extensive international practice experience working with various populations. Mette’s areas of research and professional interests include professionalization and educational socialization of human services and social workers and international social welfare. For the last 25 years, she has facilitated and conducted study abroad social welfare courses in Denmark, Germany,  Italy, and South Africa.