Susan Letteney
Susan Letteney, DSW, ACSW, Yeshiva University, is Associate Professor and Director of Social Work, York College, City University of New York (CUNY). She teaches courses on social welfare programs and policies, human behavior and the social environment, and on working with communities. Her research focuses on issues that confront children and families affected by HIV, including disclosure, stigma, social support, caregiving, and children’s psychosocial adjustment to a parent’s HIV illness.
Her practice experience is in the clinical and administrative aspects of health/mental health programs for women and children, and she has designed and implemented future care and custody programs serving HIV-affected families. She also has a private psychotherapy practice working with adults who suffer from trauma, family violence, bereavement and loss, and chemical addiction.
Publications:
Letteney, S. (2006). Disclosure of maternal HIV status to children: Key psychosocial correlates. Journal of HIV/AIDS and Social Services, 5 (1), 67-84.
Letteney, S., & Heft LaPorte, H. (2004). Deconstructing stigma: Perceptions of HIV seropositive mothers and their disclosure to children. Social Work in Health Care,
38 (3), 105-123.
Letteney, S. (2002). Issues confronting HIV-affected families. Social Work Today
(February 18), 22-23.
Beckerman, N., Letteney, S., & Lorber, K. (2000). Couples of mixed HIV status: Key emotional issues. Social Work in Health Care, 31 (4), 25-41.
Letteney, S. (2000). How do I tell my children? HIV, IV drugs, and disclosure . The
Counselor (March/April), 13-17.
Presentations:
Letteney, S. (2006, November). Understanding the relationship of HIV disease to the psychosocial adjustment of children in HIV-affected families: A conceptual model. 39th Annual Conference of The New York State Social Work Education
Association, White Plains, NY.
Letteney, S. (2005, February). Social work and the continuous care of children in HIVaffected families.
51 st
Annual Program Meeting of The Council on Social Work
Education, New York, NY.
Letteney, S., & Heft LaPorte, H. (2005, January). Poster presentation. Conversations and reactions to the disclosure of parental HIV: The voices of parents concerning

their school-aged children.
Ninth Annual Conference of The Society for Social
Work and Research, Miami, FL.
Letteney, S., & Demas, P. (2004, July). Poster presentation. Social support, gender, race and age: Key correlates of parental HIV disclosure to children.
Annual
Conference of the American Psychological Association, Waikiki, HI.
Letteney, S. (2004, January). Poster presentation. Social support and parental HIV disclosure to children.
Eighth Annual Conference of The Society for Social
Work and Research, New Orleans, LA.
Turner-Hall, T., & Letteney, S. (2003, October). Using polling to understand the
Hispanic-American experience.
Annual Biomedical Research Conference for
Minority Students Conference, San Diego, CA.
Letteney, S., & Krauss, B. (2003, July). Poster presentation. Gender, race and age:
Significant factors related to parental HIV disclosure to children.
11 th
Annual
National Institute of Mental Health Conference, “The Role of Families in
Preventing and Adapting to HIV/AIDS,” Washington, DC.
Letteney, S. (2003, May). Writing and social work practice: Using writing to teach assessment and activism.
Writing Across The Curriculum Workshop, Hunter
College, New York, NY.
Turner-Hall, T., & Letteney, S. (2003, April). Poster presentation. HIV in the international workplace.
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Populations
Conference, York College, Queens, NY.
Letteney, S., & Heft LaPorte, H. (2003, January). Poster presentation. Differences in perceptions of stigma and disclosure behavior among HIV seropositive women.
Society for Social Work in Research Annual Conference, Washington, DC.
Turner-Hall, T., & Letteney, S. (2002, December). Poster presentation. The influence role of social support on parental HIV disclosure to children.
The City University of New York Conference in Science and Engineering, New York, NY.
Letteney, S. (2002, November). Poster presentation. The changing face of HIV: From terminal disease to chronic illness.
New York State Social Work Education
Association 35 th
Annual Conference, Buffalo, NY.
Guzman, D., & Letteney, S. (2002, October). The role of social support and mood in parent’s disclosure of HIV status to children.
Annual Biomedical Research
Conference for Minority Students, New Orleans, LA.

Demas, P., Lee, S., Letteney, S., Allison, S., Simoni, J., Becker, L., et al. (2002, August).
Poster presentation. Issues facing children infected with HIV and their caregivers.
American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.
Letteney, S. (2001). Deconstructing stigma: The role of perceived stigma in the disclosure patterns of HIV seropositive mothers.
The New York State Social
Work Education Association 34 th
Annual Conference, Albany, NY.