Cynthia Juarez is a licensed clinical social worker with more than 15 years of experience including, but not limited to, direct practice with individuals of all ages, clinical supervision and program development.

Professor Juarez has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a double major in sociology and religious studies. She spent four years providing case management services to adults living with HIV/AIDS in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Professor Juarez received her Master of Social Work from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work in 2007, with a concentration in adult mental health and the persistently mentally ill. She spent the next five years providing field-based mental health services to children and families in the Los Angeles and surrounding areas.

In 2012, Professor Juarez began working for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. She served as a psychiatric social worker in the CalWORKs program where she further strengthened her passion for clinical social work and providing culturally appropriate and inclusive mental health services. She combined her bilingual skills with her knowledge of several evidence-based practices, such as motivational interviewing, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), individual CBT and structural family therapy to consistently promote positive outcomes.  In 2017, Professor Juarez was promoted to the mental health clinical supervisor position, where she supervised staff in the outpatient child/adolescent and CalWORKs programs. She supervised and trained case managers, employment specialists, LCSW’s, unlicensed staff and MSW interns.

Professor Juarez combines her lived experience and clinical skills as she works to destigmatize mental health in BIPOC communities. She is dedicated to creating a safe and reflective shared space for learning and promoting longevity in the field of social work.