Molly Fechter-Leggett
Director of Foster Care

Leader Profile

A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Molly Fechter-Leggett has dedicated herself to improving outcomes for youth who have experienced out-of-home placements. Molly joined Stanford Youth Solutions in 2010 with 13 years of experience in non-profit organizations working with children and families involved in child welfare. Molly has worn many hats: she has provided therapy and specialized trauma evaluations to children in foster care, conducted trainings on the implementation of evidence-based practice, published research on the prevention of child abuse, and taught doctoral students about systems-based interventions. 

Envisioning a continuum of care that addresses the individual, family, and community needs of youth in care, Molly is a tireless advocate for improving public policy for children and families involved in child welfare. An active member in several professional organizations, she has participated in setting a high bar for standards of care for youth in care. She has recently published research on kinship care and adult mental health outcomes, identifying core components of resiliency that help children who have experienced out of home care to become successful, happy adults 

Molly has a B.S. from Hampshire College, a Masters and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University New England and an Advanced Certificate in Trauma Studies from The Trauma Center. 

Molly has a long-standing commitment to family-centered practice as it relates to kids in foster care: “far too long, child welfare has focused only on the needs of the child, by looking at supporting the whole system around the child, Stanford Youth Solutions is better able to develop creative ways of increasing resilience and identifying permanent solutions to foster care.”