Susan Griffin is well-known in San Diego for addressing the needs of children caught in the middle of dysfunctional families. She founded Hannah’s House in 1988 and ran the program for 34 years, helping an estimated 25,000 families cope with trauma.

However, few people know about Griffin’s own experiences of near-constant trauma beginning in childhood, which she overcame but never forgets.

Those experiences drive her passion for helping children.

Susan Griffin

(Courtesy photo)

Griffin was born in 1953 and raised on Iowa farms. Her father was a sharecropper.

The family, including her two sisters, had little financial resources. Beginning at 5, Griffin worked on the farm daily.

“My father was an alcoholic, and my mother was unstable and abusive,” she said.

Numerous members of her mother’s extended family lived nearby.

“Many family members were alcoholics,” Griffin said. “The family was marked by chaos, violence, dysfunction and instability.”

“At every big family gathering there was violence. It was scary and intense. I tried calming the cousins, leading them away to the woods or hay mow.”

Griffin coped through guidance she received from a caring piano teacher and birdwatcher she befriended.

And her father’s advice helped.

“He would tell me ‘concentration is the key to success,’” she said. “I followed his advice and focused on academics and piano.” She excelled at both.

At 11, Griffin and her family moved to Des Moines. There, an elderly man on parole for pedophilia sexually assaulted her. Her mother, however, falsely accused her own daughter of wrongdoing.

“I had so much shame and guilt,” Griffin said. “I didn’t sleep well. I was vulnerable to dominating men. My mother was unrelenting and cruel. I practiced self-harm into my 20s.

“My music saved me. I would play piano for many hours beginning early in the morning,” said Griffin, who played professionally and at the White House for then-President Richard Nixon.

Although Griffin began college on an academic scholarship, her mother’s interference short-circuited education goals.

In 1976, at 22, Griffin enlisted in the Navy. “It was the only way to get away from trauma from my mother.”

During her six years in the service, Griffin was among the first women to serve aboard Navy ships at sea. She experienced sexual assault and daily harassment, something reported as prevalent at the time.

She also became an alcoholic, entering treatment in 1978.

Nevertheless, Griffin says she excelled in every assignment and each school she attended. “The Navy gave me so many opportunities for development and education,” she said.

After leaving the Navy in 1982, Griffin located in San Diego, where she began a new trauma-free and alcohol-free life. Having learned about counseling in the Navy, she continued her education, obtaining a college degree in behavioral science and two master’s degrees in clinical psychology and marriage family therapy.

She became a certified alcohol and drug specialist and licensed California marriage family therapist.

And in 1988 she formed Hannah’s House, a nonprofit that she would run for 34 years.

It was a family center that provided affordable court-ordered supervised visitation and a safe place for children during court custody disputes. It evolved into a one-stop center with full-service counseling for parents and children. Therapy continued as long as needed, without charge, which often continued for years.

“Hannah’s House was about helping keep children free of trauma,” Griffin said. “I saw circumstances similar to mine. The earlier you get to the child, the better chance of success.

“Children need safety, security, routine and consistency.”

Judges relied upon Hannah’s House for safe supervised visitation, and families relied upon it for long-term therapy.

However, Hannah’s House closed in 2022, a victim of the pandemic’s financial effects.

Today, Griffin, 70, lives in Tierrasanta with her husband, Edward. They have three children and five grandchildren.

She remains passionate about helping children in distress and is involved in discussions about collaborative ways to fill the void left by Hannah’s House closing.

“I often think how I could have benefited from a Hannah’s House,” she said. “My passion for helping these children is nonstop.”

About this series

Jan Goldsmith is an Emeritus member of the U-T’s Community Advisory Board. He is an attorney and former law partner, judge, state legislator, San Diego city attorney and Poway mayor.

Someone San Diego Should Know is a column written by members of the U-T’s Community Advisory Board about local people who are interesting and noteworthy because of their experiences, achievements, creativity or credentials.