Profile
Vanessa Prosper
Birth:
1974
Training Location(s):
PhD, Boston College (2006)
MA, Boston College (2000)
BSc, McGill University (1997)
BSc, McGill University (1995)
Primary Affiliation(s):
Boston College (2006–Present)
Haitian Mental Health Network (2010–2016)
Boston Children’s Hospital (2005–2015)
Boston Latin School (2015–Present)
Psychology’s Feminist Voices Oral History Interview:
Career Focus:
Children and adolescents’ mental health and wellbeing, psychoeducation, experiences of Haitian immigrants in the United States, multicultural competency, immigrant mental health; racial and ethnic identity; school mental health
Biography
Vanessa Prosper’s journey as a feminist, clinician, and educator was shaped by her early childhood experiences of trying to navigate both Haitian and French-Canadian cultures. As a child of Haitian immigrants residing in Montreal, Quebec, she frequently found herself “having to reconcile” her Haitian culture at home with the French-Canadian culture outside her home. She recounts that the formation of her feminist identity began when she noticed the unequal treatment given to men and women in her own culture. For example, at Haitian gatherings, it was customary for women to serve men food. She was also asked by her mother at a young age to cook for her father. These early experiences led her to distance herself from aspects of both cultures that she felt did not ‘resonate’ with her.
Reflecting on her upbringing in both cultures, she says:
“In my journey as a child of immigrant parents and having to learn how to navigate both cultures and how to construct my identity, I think I've learned kind of like, okay, you know what? It's okay to hold onto the things from both cultures that I connect with, that I can relate to, and that I feel are part of my own core values and beliefs. And I'm going to let go of the part of the Haitian culture or the French-Canadian culture that I feel from my opinion are just preposterous.”
Prosper recounts that her parents worked diligently to instil pride as well as knowledge of her Haitian culture. Additionally, they had conversations with her about how to navigate the French-Canadian world as a Black individual. She commends them for the profound impact that these early critical conversations had on her career path and her approach to teaching, counselling and psychoeducation.
Her path towards becoming a psychologist began at McGill University in Montreal, where she first studied biology as a pre-medical student, following in her father’s footsteps. However, she later pursued a degree in psychology. She notes that in her undergraduate studies “there wasn’t too much of a social justice focus” and that she began learning about feminism and other social justice issues during her graduate training at Boston College. While training there to become a counselling psychologist, she was exposed to feminist theories and language. She says that although she started noticing feminist values in herself at a young age, her learning about feminism came in ‘two parts,’ and her understanding of the movement crystallized when she was required to teach feminist concepts in her classes at Boston College. She completed her PhD at Boston College in 2006 with a dissertation titled “Navigating different worlds: ethnic and racial identity of American born young adult women with Haitian immigrant parents,” under the supervision of Dr. Brinton Lykes. In her time here, Dr. Prosper also worked for children with HIV during a pre-doctoral internship at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology part of Boston University and Boston Medical Center.
Upon completion of her doctoral degree, Dr. Prosper spent time working at Boston Children’s Hospital, which sparked her interest in child psychology. Working with children and adolescents, she worked for a community outreach program of the hospital that partnered with Boston Public Schools to provide an array of services like individual therapy, group therapy, consultation, crisis intervention, prevention program implementation, and psychoeducational workshops. She also developed various psychoeducational programs, most notably the Break Free from Depression curriculum. This 4-module curriculum has been implemented in over 100 Boston public schools and has been proven to be effective in increasing students’ knowledge of depression symptoms, treatment, and available services for themselves or their peers.
Dr. Prosper has also worked extensively with the Haitian community. She credits her parents for their efforts in educating her about Haitian culture, which has been particularly helpful in her career as a counsellor. While training for her master’s, she co-authored a paper on the expression of depression in Haitian women, which helped her become a cultural expert on the Haitian community. After the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Dr. Prosper and colleagues established a network of clinicians familiar with Haitian culture and provided psychological first aid to those who were affected. She has also been called upon by legal experts to provide advice in cases involving Haitian immigrants and has identified ways in which the legal system discriminates against members of this community.
In her role as a professor at Boston College, Dr. Prosper encourages students to critically examine various social issues such as racism and sexism and how discrimination may affect their clients. During her interview with PFV, she says that her approach to making change relies on “focusing on what I can control.” She demonstrates this in the classroom by training and encouraging students to use culturally relevant therapeutic interventions. She does this by using a mix of case studies and real-world examples to encourage her students to critically assess the social systems in which their clients are situated, and how these may influence their symptoms and the effectiveness of various interventions.
Additionally, Dr. Prosper has led a series of presentations on anti-racist approaches to therapy, how best to support children with immigrant parents, the cultural differences in the presentation of mental illness in Haitian immigrants, how to work with Haitian families and support Haitian students in the US school system; racial trauma & racial healing; manifestations of child and adolescent mental health in the classroom and how teachers can best support students' mental health awareness.
Looking to the future of psychology, Dr. Prosper says that her hope is for more rigorous training in culturally relevant interventions and more screening to ensure that psychologists do not harbour biases against marginalized populations. She also hopes that research methodologies will become more culturally inclusive, reflecting the diverse population of the United States.
Dr. Prosper’s career as an educator, researcher, and clinician embodies her own advice of “focusing on what you can control,” as she has concentrated her efforts on the areas within psychology, her classrooms, and her clinic where she can bring about change and impart knowledge on cultural competency to her students and peers.
By Aaron Peniston (2025)
To cite this article, see Credits
Selected Works
Kaye, A., Prosper, V., Moffa, K., Pejic, V., Capraro, K., Sideridis, G.D., Ross, A., Dennery, K.M., & DeMaso, D.R. (2023). Break Free from Depression: Implementation and Outcomes of a School-Based Depression Awareness Program. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 25 (10), 1103-1115.
Reilly, N., Prosper, V., & Feigenberg, L. (2011). Break free from depression: a 4-Module depression prevention curriculum for students in grades 9-12. Boston Children’s Hospital.
Nicolas, G., Desilva, A.M., Subrebost, K.L., Breland-Noble, A., Gonzalez-Eastep, D., Manning, N., Prosper, V., & Prater, K. (2007). Expression and treatment of depression among Haitian immigrant women in the United States: clinical observations. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 61 (1), 83-98.
Prosper, V. (2006). Navigating different worlds: ethnic and racial identity of American born young adult women with Haitian immigrant parents. Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA.
Vanessa Prosper
Birth:
1974
Training Location(s):
PhD, Boston College (2006)
MA, Boston College (2000)
BSc, McGill University (1997)
BSc, McGill University (1995)
Primary Affiliation(s):
Boston College (2006–Present)
Haitian Mental Health Network (2010–2016)
Boston Children’s Hospital (2005–2015)
Boston Latin School (2015–Present)
Psychology’s Feminist Voices Oral History Interview:
Career Focus:
Children and adolescents’ mental health and wellbeing, psychoeducation, experiences of Haitian immigrants in the United States, multicultural competency, immigrant mental health; racial and ethnic identity; school mental health
Biography
Vanessa Prosper’s journey as a feminist, clinician, and educator was shaped by her early childhood experiences of trying to navigate both Haitian and French-Canadian cultures. As a child of Haitian immigrants residing in Montreal, Quebec, she frequently found herself “having to reconcile” her Haitian culture at home with the French-Canadian culture outside her home. She recounts that the formation of her feminist identity began when she noticed the unequal treatment given to men and women in her own culture. For example, at Haitian gatherings, it was customary for women to serve men food. She was also asked by her mother at a young age to cook for her father. These early experiences led her to distance herself from aspects of both cultures that she felt did not ‘resonate’ with her.
Reflecting on her upbringing in both cultures, she says:
“In my journey as a child of immigrant parents and having to learn how to navigate both cultures and how to construct my identity, I think I've learned kind of like, okay, you know what? It's okay to hold onto the things from both cultures that I connect with, that I can relate to, and that I feel are part of my own core values and beliefs. And I'm going to let go of the part of the Haitian culture or the French-Canadian culture that I feel from my opinion are just preposterous.”
Prosper recounts that her parents worked diligently to instil pride as well as knowledge of her Haitian culture. Additionally, they had conversations with her about how to navigate the French-Canadian world as a Black individual. She commends them for the profound impact that these early critical conversations had on her career path and her approach to teaching, counselling and psychoeducation.
Her path towards becoming a psychologist began at McGill University in Montreal, where she first studied biology as a pre-medical student, following in her father’s footsteps. However, she later pursued a degree in psychology. She notes that in her undergraduate studies “there wasn’t too much of a social justice focus” and that she began learning about feminism and other social justice issues during her graduate training at Boston College. While training there to become a counselling psychologist, she was exposed to feminist theories and language. She says that although she started noticing feminist values in herself at a young age, her learning about feminism came in ‘two parts,’ and her understanding of the movement crystallized when she was required to teach feminist concepts in her classes at Boston College. She completed her PhD at Boston College in 2006 with a dissertation titled “Navigating different worlds: ethnic and racial identity of American born young adult women with Haitian immigrant parents,” under the supervision of Dr. Brinton Lykes. In her time here, Dr. Prosper also worked for children with HIV during a pre-doctoral internship at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology part of Boston University and Boston Medical Center.
Upon completion of her doctoral degree, Dr. Prosper spent time working at Boston Children’s Hospital, which sparked her interest in child psychology. Working with children and adolescents, she worked for a community outreach program of the hospital that partnered with Boston Public Schools to provide an array of services like individual therapy, group therapy, consultation, crisis intervention, prevention program implementation, and psychoeducational workshops. She also developed various psychoeducational programs, most notably the Break Free from Depression curriculum. This 4-module curriculum has been implemented in over 100 Boston public schools and has been proven to be effective in increasing students’ knowledge of depression symptoms, treatment, and available services for themselves or their peers.
Dr. Prosper has also worked extensively with the Haitian community. She credits her parents for their efforts in educating her about Haitian culture, which has been particularly helpful in her career as a counsellor. While training for her master’s, she co-authored a paper on the expression of depression in Haitian women, which helped her become a cultural expert on the Haitian community. After the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Dr. Prosper and colleagues established a network of clinicians familiar with Haitian culture and provided psychological first aid to those who were affected. She has also been called upon by legal experts to provide advice in cases involving Haitian immigrants and has identified ways in which the legal system discriminates against members of this community.
In her role as a professor at Boston College, Dr. Prosper encourages students to critically examine various social issues such as racism and sexism and how discrimination may affect their clients. During her interview with PFV, she says that her approach to making change relies on “focusing on what I can control.” She demonstrates this in the classroom by training and encouraging students to use culturally relevant therapeutic interventions. She does this by using a mix of case studies and real-world examples to encourage her students to critically assess the social systems in which their clients are situated, and how these may influence their symptoms and the effectiveness of various interventions.
Additionally, Dr. Prosper has led a series of presentations on anti-racist approaches to therapy, how best to support children with immigrant parents, the cultural differences in the presentation of mental illness in Haitian immigrants, how to work with Haitian families and support Haitian students in the US school system; racial trauma & racial healing; manifestations of child and adolescent mental health in the classroom and how teachers can best support students' mental health awareness.
Looking to the future of psychology, Dr. Prosper says that her hope is for more rigorous training in culturally relevant interventions and more screening to ensure that psychologists do not harbour biases against marginalized populations. She also hopes that research methodologies will become more culturally inclusive, reflecting the diverse population of the United States.
Dr. Prosper’s career as an educator, researcher, and clinician embodies her own advice of “focusing on what you can control,” as she has concentrated her efforts on the areas within psychology, her classrooms, and her clinic where she can bring about change and impart knowledge on cultural competency to her students and peers.
By Aaron Peniston (2025)
To cite this article, see Credits
Selected Works
Kaye, A., Prosper, V., Moffa, K., Pejic, V., Capraro, K., Sideridis, G.D., Ross, A., Dennery, K.M., & DeMaso, D.R. (2023). Break Free from Depression: Implementation and Outcomes of a School-Based Depression Awareness Program. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 25 (10), 1103-1115.
Reilly, N., Prosper, V., & Feigenberg, L. (2011). Break free from depression: a 4-Module depression prevention curriculum for students in grades 9-12. Boston Children’s Hospital.
Nicolas, G., Desilva, A.M., Subrebost, K.L., Breland-Noble, A., Gonzalez-Eastep, D., Manning, N., Prosper, V., & Prater, K. (2007). Expression and treatment of depression among Haitian immigrant women in the United States: clinical observations. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 61 (1), 83-98.
Prosper, V. (2006). Navigating different worlds: ethnic and racial identity of American born young adult women with Haitian immigrant parents. Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA.