Cynthia A. Lietz is dean of the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions and President's Professor in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University.
Lietz is a seasoned college administrator, having served in a variety of roles including associate dean, vice dean and most recently, dean of Watts College. She is proud to lead a community of faculty, staff, students and community members who are committed to working together to address challenges facing our society. The need for effective, evidence-based public service has never been more clear.
Lietz is also an active scholar who conducts research that informs strengths-based practice with youth and their families. Specifically, she applies the construct of resilience to family systems examining the ways family units cope with and grow stronger despite trauma, loss and other challenges. This includes looking at the strengths (e.g. empathy, social support, spirituality) and the adaptation process that helps young people and their families overcome adversity.
Lietz is particularly interested in the translation of research to practice. As a result, she developed Strengths-Based Supervision (SBS; Lietz, 2013), a model of clinical supervision that supports effective implementation of family-centered practice in child welfare settings. This model has been adopted by the public child welfare systems in Arizona, Michigan, Florida, Texas and Idaho, and infused into training material at several additional organizations including the Butler Institute in Colorado, and the Virginia and Arizona Chapters of the National Association of Social Workers.
Lietz is also known for her passion for student success, serving as PI for ASU’s Bridging Success program, a campus-based program of support for ASU students who have a background in foster care. She was also chosen by the Associated Students of Arizona State University for the Centennial Professor Award in 2013 to honor her commitment to teaching and community-based research.
Family Resilience: The strengths (e.g. empathy, social support, spirituality) and coping/adaptation process through which youth and families overcome adversity.
Strengths-Based Supervision & Leadership: How leaders support effective implementation of strengths-based, family-centered practice.
Books
Refereed Journal Articles
Cheung, J.R., Lietz, C.A., Carpenter, B.M., Sitz, E., Lietz, B.C. (2021). Cultivating resilience in college students with a foster care background. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 15(2), 182-202.
Julien-Chinn, F.J. & Lietz, C.A. (2019). Building learning cultures in the child welfare workforce. Children and Youth Services Review, 4(1), 360-365.
Lietz, C.A. (2018). Infusing clinical supervision throughout child welfare practice: Advancing effective implementation of family-centered practice through supervisory processes. Clinical Social Work Journal, 46(4), 331-340.
Lietz, C.A., & Julien-Chinn, F.J. (2017). Do the components of Strengths-Based Supervision enhance child welfare workers’ satisfaction with supervision? Families in Society, 98(2),146-155.
Geiger, J.M., Cheung, J.R., Hanrahan, J.E., Lietz, C.A., & Carpenter, B.M. (2017). Increasing competency, self-confidence, and connectedness among foster care alumni entering a 4-year university: Findings from an early start program. Journal of Social Service Research.
Piel, M.H., Geiger, J.M., Julien-Chinn, F.J., & Lietz, C.A., (2017). An ecological systems approach to understanding social support in foster family resilience. Child and Family Social Work, 22, 1034-1043.
Lietz, C.A., Julien-Chinn, F.J., Geiger, J.M., & Piel, M.H. (2017). Cultivating resilience in foster families. Family Process.
Commentaries
Book Chapters
Spring 2021 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
CPP 294 | Special Topics |
Fall 2020 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
SWU 171 | Introduction to Social Work |
Spring 2020 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MCO 591 | Seminar |
Fall 2019 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
SWU 171 | Introduction to Social Work |
Spring 2019 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
CPP 494 | Special Topics |
Fall 2018 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
SWU 171 | Introduction to Social Work |
CPP 494 | Special Topics |
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW) • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) • Society for Social Work Research (SSWR)
• Kalah Villagrana - Dissertation Chair • Justine Cheung - Dissertation Chair • Francie Julien-Chinn - Dissertation Chair & Doris Duke Fellowship Mentor • Megan Hayes Piel - Dissertation Chair & Doris Duke Fellowship Mentor • Jennifer Mullins Geiger - Dissertation Committee Member & Post Doc Mentor • Rebecca Hornung - Dissertation Committee Member • Breanna Carpenter - Barrett Honors Thesis Chair • Katrina Glaze - Barrett Honors Thesis Chair • Andrea Cimino - Doctoral Teaching Assistantship Advisor • Undergraduate Research Mentor (Erin Sitz, Breanna Carpenter, Claire McLoone, Airiqa Tibbs-Ramirez, Justine Cheung)