Julia LeFrancois, MA
About
Titles
Evaluation Coordinator
Evaluation Coordinator, The Consultation Center
Biography
Julia LeFrancois (she/her/ella) is earning her second master's degree in clinical mental health counseling at the University of New Haven. Alongside counseling, she serves as an Evaluation Coordinator at The Yale Consultation Center (TCC), focusing on public health and social justice-oriented evaluations. Julia earned her first master's degree in community psychology, where she concentrated on research & evaluation, and worked as a graduate research assistant for Esperanza United, a national gender-based violence resource center. She remains actively involved with the Center, offering ongoing guidance in research literacy and student theses. After completing her first degree, she also collaborated with the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) to study housing insecurity among Black immigrant and refugee survivors of domestic violence.
Julia completed her clinical training at APT Foundation, a community-based nonprofit that provides open-access treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder and co-occurring mental health challenges. She is currently conducting comprehensive psychological assessments with adolescents and young adults at Turnbridge.
Julia identifies as a healer, storyteller, and change-maker, with a practice rooted in feminist and decolonial frameworks. Her work focuses on embodied narratives related to marginalized identities and trauma. Prior to her academic path in community and clinical psychology, she worked as a sign language interpreter and has been active in the Deaf community since 2012. Julia is committed to challenging oppressive systems through community-based and compassion-centered strategies, which she applies across her work as a researcher, evaluator, educator, and counselor.
Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- MA
- University of New Haven, Community Psychology; Research and Evaluation
- BA
- California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Psychology
- AS
- Mt. San Antonio College, Sign Language Interpreting
Advanced Training & Certifications
- IPV: Screening & Interventions for Health Professionals (1 CEU)
- Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2029)
- Doctoral Student and Trainee Certificate of Clinical Excellence in Clinical Suicidology
- National Register of Health Service Psychologists
Research
Overview
Julia's research spans an array of social-justice-centered issues, reflecting her dedication to community well-being. Under the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV), she led the Black Immigrant and Refugee Housing Project, focusing on policy recommendations for survivors of gender-based violence. Simultaneously, at The Consultation Center at Yale (TCC), Julia served as a Research Assistant II, overseeing interdisciplinary data collection and conducting evaluations within a mental health facility.
Within Esperanza United, as a Graduate Assistant, Julia coordinated mixed-methods studies on gender-based violence, resulting in peer-reviewed publications. Her Master's thesis, "Embodied youth narratives: A national photovoice project," delved into stress sources among Latiné youth, particularly emphasizing body trauma. Julia's McNair Research focused on empowering historically excluded communities through storytelling.
Additionally, her research underscores a commitment to exploring body-trauma within the context of Body-Neutrality practices, Disability Justice, and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). As a Research Consultant II at the NRCDV, Julia managed community-based research and evaluation projects, including the Linguistic Justice Workgroup. Notably, at the University of New Haven and Fairfield University, she contributed to restorative justice studies, community service coordination, and program-related research. Her involvement extended to teaching as an Adjunct Faculty, emphasizing self-developed Care Praxis of inclusion and decolonizing practices.