Heidi Stern-Ellis is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has focused her practice in the arena of child maltreatment. For the past 15 years, she has been employed at San Diego's world-renowned Children's Hospital and Health Center, Chadwick Center for Children and Families. She has functioned as a trauma therapy clinician, intern supervisor, and presented on various topics related to the child maltreatment field. Ms. Stern-Ellis has also been an active part of the Children's Behavioral Health Crisis Response Team. Currently, Ms. Stern-Ellis is the clinical supervisor for one of the trauma counseling teams.

Ms. Stern-Ellis also provides specialized trainings specific to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community at the local, state and national level. She is a co-author of a trauma brief which highlighted the risks and treatment for LGBTQ youth. Ms. Stern-Ellis is currently a collaborative member with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network addressing issues of cultural competence in the trauma field.