Chelsea Wakeham is a Family Advocate/Case Manager in the Support to End Exploitation Now (SEEN) program. In her role, Chelsea coordinates comprehensive, multi-disciplinary responses for youth who have been commercially sexually exploited or are considered to be at-risk for commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC). With the support of law enforcement, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Department of Children and Families, juvenile justice providers, and many community partners, Chelsea facilitates swift and holistic responses in an effort to connect youth with the services and supports they need to build healthy lives and feel empowered.

Prior to joining the Children’s Advocacy Center, Chelsea worked as a Licensed Master Social Worker in New York City advocating for adolescents and adults alike whose complex trauma histories, addiction, mental illness, and poverty-stricken environments led them to become entangled in the legal system.

Chelsea earned her MSW from Columbia University in 2016 with concentrations in Law and Contemporary Social Issues. As part of her graduate program, she worked at the Osborne Association in Brooklyn as the Program Coordinator for the Youth Action Council—a weekly leadership group for youth who raise awareness about the impact of parental incarceration through advocacy rooted in their personal experiences. She also has experience working in mental health research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she gained valuable clinical skills working with and assessing youth and young adults struggling with the early stage schizophrenia-spectrum illness.

Chelsea previously received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from UMass Amherst, and is currently a Licensed Certified Social Worker in Massachusetts.