Monnica Williams

Dr. Monnica T. Williams is a board-certified licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the School of Psychology, where she is the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities. She is also the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Connecticut, where she provides supervision and training to clinicians for empirically-supported treatments. Prior to her move to Canada, Dr. Williams was on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School (2007-2011), the University of Louisville in Psychological and Brain Sciences (2011-2016), where she served as the Director of the Center for Mental Health Disparities, and the University of Connecticut (2016-2019). Dr. Williams’ research focuses on minority mental health, culture, and psychopathology, and she has published over 100 scientific articles on these topics. Current projects include the assessment of race-based trauma, unacceptable thoughts in OCD, improving cultural competence in mental health care services, and interventions to reduce racism. This includes her work as a PI in a multisite study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. She also gives diversity trainings nationally for clinical psychology programs, scientific conferences, and community organizations. Dr. Williams serves as an associate editor of The Behavior Therapist and New Ideas in Psychology. She also serves on the editorial board ofCognitive Behaviour Therapy, and the Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation, and co-founded their Diversity Council. Her work has been featured in several major media outlets, including NPR, CTV, Huffington Post, and the New York Times.

Research Interests:

• Cultural competence in research and health care
• Phenomenology, assessment, and treatment of OCD
• Ethnic differences in psychopathology symptoms and the role of ethnic identity
• PTSD and racial trauma in visible minorities and indigenous groups
• Microaggressions and discrimination
• Psychedelics and mental health