Kitty Clemens

Kitty Clemens is the Director of Cedarhurst School, a therapeutic middle/high school under Yale's Department of Psychiatry, and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work at Yale School of Medicine. She leads programs supporting socioeconomically diverse students with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Her career began at the Yale Psychiatric Institute as a Post-MSW Fellow, later expanding into roles at Cedarhurst including developing the Passage Program for transition-age youth and the School Engagement Program for school-avoidant students. She also directs Yale Behavioral Health's Post-MSW Fellowship, training clinical social workers nationally.

Education:

• B.A., Barnard College (Columbia University), Psychology (1993)
• M.S.W., Smith College School for Social Work (1999)
• Post-MSW Fellowship, Yale Psychiatric Institute (2000)
• M.Ed., Southern Connecticut State University (Educational Leadership, 2019)

Research & Practice Focus: Trauma-informed systems, restorative justice in schools, equity in special education, and support for transgender/gender-expansive youth. She pioneered Cedarhurst's PBIS framework, recognized nationally as a model for alternative education settings. During the pandemic, her leadership helped maintain in-person instruction with zero in-school COVID transmission.

Professional Contributions: Over 20 years at Cedarhurst, she advanced clinical programming, expanded age-appropriate transitional services, and enhanced school culture through systemic behavioral supports. Her Fellowship program cultivates future clinical social workers through intensive mentorship.