With over 20 years of experience spanning multiple roles within child welfare, T’halese Steen is a compassionate and seasoned Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSWA) who consistently champions the outcomes of safety, permanence, and well-being for children, families, and the workforce. With a deep foundation in direct practice, supervision, and systems change, T’halese is a trusted capacity-building consultant and strategist known for advancing equity-centered transformation, reimagining service delivery, and leading with a people-first philosophy across child welfare systems.
Her experience encompasses work at both the state and local levels of government, as well as expertise in crisis intervention, coaching, case management, and policy implementation. T’halese brings a rare blend of empathy, strategic insight, and systems thinking to capacity-building efforts, partnering with leaders, supervisors, workers, and teams through immersive, values-based initiatives. She specializes in coaching multidisciplinary professionals to strengthen child welfare practice, elevate family voice, and operationalize relational accountability at every level of service.
T’halese has facilitated statewide trainings, designed implementation strategies aligned with policy, and guided leadership teams toward more inclusive, trauma-responsive approaches to practice. Grounded in her belief that every child deserves a rooted connection and every family deserves the chance to thrive, she is unwavering in her mission to dismantle systemic barriers while fostering cultures of belonging, dignity, and healing. Her deep commitment to amplifying youth and family voice continues to shape policies, transform practices, and advance more just outcomes.
T’halese holds a Master of Social Work from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Child Development from Central Michigan University. Her leadership style is both visionary and practical, transforming vision into action to create meaningful and lasting change. At the heart of her work is a relentless dedication to helping systems grow stronger by putting people, not process, at the center.
