Michael Sheridan

Dr. Michael Sheridan has been a social work practitioner and educator for over thirty years and worked most recently at the National Institutes of Health as Special Advisor for Diversity and Wellness Programs,where she developed and delivered trainings in diversity and inclusion, as well as a variety of wellness programs for both NIH trainees and employees.  As part of her work in the wellness arena, she initiated a holistic approach to self-care, including tools for bio-psycho-social-spiritual self-assessments and self-care plans, and developed and lead a weekly meditation group grounded in both mindfulness meditation and Integrative Restoration Yoga Nidra. Since her retirement in 2020, she continues to provide training in diversity and wellness to the NIH as a consultant. As an academic, she taught courses on transpersonal theory and spirituality and social work practice and directed a spirituality and social work research and training center at the Catholic University of America.  She previously had appointments at Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Northern Iowa.

Her extensive scholarship on spirituality and social work and development of research tools for studying this area have made substantial contributions to the field both nationally and internationally. Dr. Sheridan provided service in many professional capacities including with the Council on Social Work Education, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Society for Spirituality and Social Work. In recognition of her work in both diversity and spirituality, she was honored by the National Association of Social Workers in 2015 as a Social Work Pioneer.