Stefan was born in St. Louis, Missiouri, and lived there until he left for the Army in September 1966. Stefan worked as a Social Worker/Clinical Psychology Specialist, including 14 months in Vietnam (the last 5 in I-Corps with the 101st Airborne).

Stefan moved to San Francisco in December of 1969, and lived in the Bay Area until August 1992. During that time, he worked on psychiatric in-patient units and crisis clinic, as a Licensed Psychiatric Technician. Stefan has been clean from cocaine for almost 29 years.

In 1992, Stefan moved to Mazanita, Oregon. He worked as a Workforce Development Professional for 5 years, and received his Masters degree in 1998. From 2001-2007, Stefan worked for Tillamook Family Counseling Center. He earned his PhD in Psychology in 2006.

Stefan has been writing since he was 8 years old. So far, he has written six unpublished novels, one of which is currently in revision. Two of his books focus on shame, the most recent of which details the relationship between shame, addictions, and "mental illness."