New faculty head to lead ASU's Counseling and Counseling Psychology unit forward


Portrait of ASU Professor Ayşe Çiftçi outside with a natural backdrop of green grass and leafy trees.

Professor Ayşe Çiftçi joins the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts ready to lead Counseling and Counseling Psychology unit as its new faculty head.

|

Arizona State University’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (CISA) is pleased to welcome new faculty head for Counseling and Counseling Psychology Ayşe Çiftçi (pronounced eye-SHAE chief-T-CHEE).

A truly dedicated educator, Çiftçi's distinguished career includes a 16-year tenure at Purdue University, where she most recently served as the department head of educational studies in the College of Education. 

Through her leadership positions and scholarship, she has worked to identify critical factors and develop interventions that will help build more inclusive environments — particularly for marginalized communities — in educational and training settings.

Çiftçi's academic accolades are plentiful, including the American Psychological Association 2014 Presidential Citation, and she’s an APA Fellow in divisions 17 (counseling psychology) and 52 (international psychology). She has more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, has had research funded by the National Science Foundation and is a renowned keynote and international guest lecturer and presenter. 

“We’re delighted to have Ayşe join CISA to lead the CCP faculty in shaping the next generation of counselors and counseling psychologists,” said College of Integrative Sciences and Arts Dean Joanna Grabski. “The need is great for professionals who are dedicated to promoting the health of individuals, families, groups and organizations in a multicultural, diverse society.”

Çiftçi is excited to be a part of CISA’s team. 

“I am thrilled to have an opportunity to lead Counseling and Counseling Psychology (CCP) and be a part of the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts leadership,” said Çiftçi. 

“CCP has such a strong reputation nationally and internationally. I am looking forward to leading the unit collaboratively with its amazing diverse faculty, students, alumni and community partners to a new future that is inclusive, innovative and socially responsive.”

CISA’s Counseling and Counseling Psychology unit offers two graduate degrees — the Master of Counseling and the PhD in counseling psychology — at ASU's Tempe campus, and bachelor’s degree programs in psychology (Polytechnic campus) and counseling and applied psychological science (Polytechnic campus and ASU Online); the latter includes a concentration in substance abuse and addictions.

CCP is also home to the ASU Counselor Training Center, which offers low-cost counseling services for ASU students, staff and faculty, as well as the larger community. Anyone living in Arizona is eligible for services.  

As Çiftçi settles into her Arizona life, she is enjoying her new surroundings. 

“It is fascinating to see the biodiversity of the Valley,” she said. “It’s quite an adjustment to the desert environment after living in the Midwest for 16 years and growing up on the coastal city of Izmir (in Turkey)!”

Çiftçi earned her PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Memphis and an MS in psychological counseling and guidance, and BS in educational sciences from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey.

More Science and technology

 

Close-up of a DNA double helix with colorful bokeh lights and network lines in the background.

ASU professor wins NIH Director’s New Innovator Award for research linking gene function to brain structure

Life experiences alter us in many ways, including how we act and our mental and physical health. What we go through can even…

Photo of the ISPMHA group at ASU with Olivia Davis in the center

ASU postdoctoral researcher leads initiative to support graduate student mental health

Olivia Davis had firsthand experience with anxiety and OCD before she entered grad school. Then, during the pandemic and as a…

Silhouettes of an adult and a child facing each other.

ASU graduate student researching interplay between family dynamics, ADHD

The symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — which include daydreaming, making careless mistakes or taking…