Juni Banerjee-Stevens

Member

I recently completed a 3-year term on the Chico Country Day School (CCDS) Board of Directors where I got a behind-the-scenes look at the unique brand of innovation that goes into a charter school. I also learned the mission and purpose of a charter school board, and I now feel prepared to offer sound support and advice to another amazing school in our community. As you know, I am a licensed psychologist, currently in private practice in Chico. In August, 2022, I also joined the faculty of the School of Social Work at Chico State. Prior to starting my private practice in 2019, I worked in higher education for over 20 years, most recently as the Clinical Director of the Counseling & Wellness Center at Chico State. Throughout my career, I helped college students navigate psychological hurdles on their way to academic success. I listened to countless stories of amazing students who stockpiled AP credits and extracurricular accomplishments to earn their chance to get a college degree (many, the first in their families to do so). Once they arrived, however, dreams got derailed by years— sometimes generations of untreated trauma. It is no secret that students are hurting, and the state of the world is only exacerbating their mental health struggles. At Chico State, I developed trainings and workshops to help faculty and staff learn about how childhood and intergenerational trauma affects students’ ability to learn, and what collectively we could do to support students. After the Camp Fire, however, I felt a pull to help bring this knowledge to a wider audience. So, after 20 years in higher education, I chose to retire from my post Chico State to start my current business, Deer Park Counseling & Consulting. In addition to providing individual psychotherapy, I present on trauma-informed practices and healing-centered engagement to schools and agencies throughout Northern California. When the pandemic started to lift, I realized how much I missed being on campus, and I wanted to dust off my research skills. In the fall of 2022, therefore, I joined the faculty of the School of Social Work. It always was my hope to combine my interests in teaching, research, and practice, and I am grateful that our community has supported my ability to do so. I am, in effect, living the dream. Outside of my work life, I am the mother of three amazing (if I do say so myself) children. One of my daughters graduated from Inspire in 2022 and just started her sophomore year at UC- Davis. My son is now a sophomore, which means his Inspire family sees him more than I do. It’s okay. Nothing is more thrilling than watching your children thrive. Indeed, I have long-been a champion of Inspire’s mission “to motivate and empower its students to reach their intellectual, creative, personal, civic, and social potentials.” In my own past life, I was a musician and theater geek, and I know those early experiences shaped me in every way. I am hugely committed to cultivating any program that gives children (and adults) the chance to find their passion and inspiration.