Dr. Stephanie Kilpatrick

Clinical Overview

Dr. Stephanie Kilpatrick is a clinical psychologist based in New Haven, CT, and serves as co-director at West Rock Wellness, PLLC. Her work integrates talk therapy grounded in psychodynamic and existential perspectives, along with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and psychedelic-assisted therapies. Through this approach, she supports people in exploring the deeper roots of distress and suffering, especially when facing existential challenges.

Education & Training

Dr. Kilpatrick earned her B.A. in psychology from UCLA and completed her Psy.D. at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She has received training through M.A.P.S., worked as a therapist on Yale’s psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression study, and holds a psychedelic therapist certificate from the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).

Treatment Approach

Her therapeutic approach recognizes that emotional and psychological difficulties often emerge from painful life experiences that can give rise to shame, fear, and disconnection. These experiences may shape reactive patterns and leave people feeling separated from themselves and others. By identifying the original sources of harm and examining the protective structures formed in response, her work helps distinguish past experiences from present reality. Being witnessed in this process can bring what was once hidden into view, opening space for connection and a renewed way of relating to the world and to others.

Background

Born in Balsas, Maranhao, Brazil, Dr. Kilpatrick immigrated to the United States in 1988. In 1997, she moved from New Jersey to the West Coast, where she later completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA and earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She began her clinical career working with homeless populations in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles, as well as with adults transitioning out of the corrections system. Her multicultural background and early professional experience shaped her focus on the concrete and systemic forms of harm that influence emotional and psychological well-being, and the ways people respond in the world.