Stephanie Guerrier, MS, LPC

Stephanie Guerrier (she/her/hers) is an Afro-Caribbean cisgender female of Haitian-American descent. While English is her dominant language, she is also fluent in Haitian Creole; a French-based language comprised of West African, Taino, English, Portuguese, and Spanish dialects.

A native New Yorker from Rockland County, Stephanie was raised in an ethnically diverse community rich in cultural customs deeply rooted in West Indian and Latin American influences intersecting with various other heritages.

In 2005, Stephanie relocated to Connecticut to pursue advanced education at Southern Connecticut State University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2009 and later a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2012. She is now a Licensed Professional Counselor with a decade of experience working with children of diverse backgrounds in the mental health field.

As a counselor, Stephanie strives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion when delivering care to at-risk, disadvantaged populations. Currently, Stephanie practices therapy and specializes in counseling children and adolescents. She also provides multiculturally informed clinical supervision to other clinicians, practicum students, and interns at the Yale Child Study Center.

In 2021, The Center posted an announcement on recruiting staff, faculty, and trainees to join the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Committee. This moment presented an opportunity for Stephanie to collaborate in solidarity with like-minded colleagues to promote an inclusive, safe, and welcoming environment for community members. DEIB initiatives outlined in the mission statement resonated with Stephanie's profound desire for activism, social justice, and equality. In truth, Stephanie's personal and vicarious experiences of oppression inspired her to advocate for marginalized, minoritized, and underprivileged groups. Having witnessed firsthand the divisive effects of racism, ageism, gender bias, microaggression, discrimination, and prejudice, Stephanie set forth on a mission to help bring diverse identities together where unique differences are appreciated, embraced, and respected. By supporting this movement, Stephanie envisioned being an agent of change, contributing to her community by reducing disparities, and restructuring institutional practices that create a disconnect in the workplace and overall environment-- practices from a historical context traced back to a period that was less progressive than modern days and where society lacked social consciousness around such inequities.

While extensive work is necessary for substantial change, Stephanie remains committed to improving the work climate by bringing humanity together with the collective efforts of the DEIB team.