Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise
- SW750
Highlighted Publications
- Dowdy-Hazlett, T. & Clark, S.L. (2023). "Foster care is a roller coaster": A mixed-methods exploration of foster parent experiences with caregiving. Child and Adolescent Social Work. DOI: 10.1007/s10560-023-00938-9
- Renn, T., Dowdy-Hazlett, T., Collins, C., Killian, M., & *Alani, D. (2024). The feasibility and acceptability of Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) in a rural community impacted by environmental trauma and COVID-19. School Mental Health.
- Dowdy-Hazlett, T., Killian, M., & Woods, M. (2021). A psychometric evaluation of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS). Children and Youth Services Review, 131, 106259.
Current Projects
- Treatment Foster Care: In collaboration with the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, this project evaluates a treatment foster care program in Florida.
- KY-KINS: This work focuses on implementing and evaluating the KY-KINS kinship navigator program for caregivers.
Student & Research Availability
- Accepting Students in Programs: Doctoral | Masters
- Available Student Positions: Independent Study | Practicum
Alma Mater
Florida State University- PhD University of Louisville- BSW, MSSW
Get to Know Taylor
Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett brings over 11 years of direct practice experience in child welfare, including work across residential treatment, child protective services, clinical therapy with children and families, and psychiatric assessment. These experiences have shaped and grounded her research agenda, providing a practice-informed lens on the needs of children and families involved in complex systems.
Dr. Dowdy-Hazlett’s research focuses on promoting positive wellbeing outcomes for children involved in the child welfare system. Drawing from her frontline and clinical background, she is particularly interested in identifying and evaluating interventions that support healing, stability, and long-term resilience among children and families. Her work spans areas such as trauma-informed care, service delivery processes, and the effectiveness of supportive interventions designed to improve emotional, behavioral, and relational outcomes.
In addition, her research examines how systems and providers can better meet the needs of children and families through responsive, coordinated, and strengths-based approaches. This includes a focus on service accessibility, caregiver support, and the ways in which programs are implemented and experienced by those they are intended to serve.
Overall, Dr. Dowdy-Hazlett’s work is driven by a commitment to improving the quality and impact of services for children and families in the child welfare system, with an emphasis on fostering resilience, promoting wellbeing, and supporting meaningful, sustained outcomes.