Claire Towle

Claire Towle is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has over 25 years of experience combining direct clinical care, supervision, teaching, and management responsibilities.

Towle received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California where her focus was health. She also has a Bachelors Degree in Social Work from California State University, Long Beach.

She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, a Certified Bereavement Facilitator and is certified in Thanatology.

Towle’s professional career includes working in the hospital setting as Program Coordinator of the Pediatric/Family HIV/AIDS Program at Memorial Miller Children’s Hospital and as Supervisor of Social Services for Children’s Hospital of Orange County. She was also a consultant for California Children’s Services (CCS) on the county and the state level.

Towle held the position of the Director of The Gathering Place, a center for loss and life transitions, and was the Associate Director of Bereavement Services for Providence Trinity Care Hospice. In addition, she has had a private psychotherapy practice where she specialized in grief and loss.

Over her career, Towle has provided multiple presentations on grief and loss and health and mental health topics, including self-care for professionals. Presently, she serves on the Alumni Leadership Council for the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and is cochairman of the Programs Committee.