Candidate for Clinical Director-At-Large

Stephanie Lay
Candidate Statement

Stephanie Lay (they/she) has been a passionate advocate for improved youth life outcomes for more than 20 years. She has extensively worked with youth as an educator and mental health specialist, and holds a master's degree from California Institute of Integral Studies in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy. For more information about Stephanie and her work, visit their website.

Stephanie supports developing equitable changes in the licensing process to remove barriers that impact diversity of therapists from entering the field, including:  

• Revising the ‘6 year rule,’ as it predominantly harms disabled people and new parents 
• Implementing scholarships for lower socioeconomic status (SES) application, renewal, and testing fees 
• Ensuring all trainees and associates are being paid for their work 
• Identifying and deploying accommodations for disabled clinicians so they can complete their traineeships and associateships without facing discrimination 
• Advocating for licensing exams to be available in languages other than English

Stephanie believes in autonomy for all mental-health consumers, including children’s rights to access and decline treatment. They hope to bring their social-justice oriented organizing skills to the CAMFT Board of Directors to help bring the mental-health profession up to date with the latest evidence-based research about treatment approaches and interventions for diverse populations, including trans, gender nonconforming, and sexually diverse people. Stephanie supports improving public and professional knowledge about Marriage and Family Therapists skills, scope of practice, and legal and ethical requirements particularly around youth client confidentiality. 

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