MENTAL HEALTH & COUNSELING SERVICES IN CONNECTICUT AND ONLINE
Monnica Williams, Ph.D., ABPP
Clinical Director
Dr. Monnica T. Williams is board-certified licensed clinical psychologist and the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Tolland, CT. She provides individual psychotherapy as well as consultation, supervision, and training to clinicians for empirically-supported treatments. She trains clinicians in exposure and ritual prevention (Ex/RP), prolonged exposure (PE), behavioral activation, functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP), and culturally-informed approaches. She also provides consultation and treatment nationwide, including the use of tele-therapy. She is licensed in the US and Canada, and also holds an Interjurisdictional Practice Certificate (IPC).
Leading the Fight Against OCD
Although there are effective treatments for OCD, many people cannot access these because they are never diagnosed or are misdiagnosed with a different condition. In addition to worries about contamination or symmetry, people with OCD may struggle with taboo or unacceptable thoughts, such as worries about sexual orientation, thoughts of harming others, and religious concerns. Research shows doctors and therapists typically misdiagnose these forms of OCD, resulting in incorrect treatments and barriers to care. Dr. Williams has been active in conducting research focused on frequently misdiagnosed OCD symptoms, and she published the first research articles on sexual obsessions in OCD. She also developed a new measure to help clinicians distinguish between sexual orientation fears in OCD and a sexual identity crisis in LGBTQ individuals. As such, she has been recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on this topic and has a treatment manual with Oxford University Press for sexual worries in OCD.
Academics and Research
Outside of the clinic, Dr. Williams is a Canada Research Chair at the University of Ottawa in the School of Psychology. Previously, she served as the Director of the Center for Mental Health Disparities at the University of Louisville in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. She also worked for four years at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received training from Dr. Edna Foa. Dr. Williams has published over 200 scientific articles on mental health and culture, and she has written three mental health books with top publishers. She currently has 2 additional books in press. Current projects include unacceptable thoughts in OCD, improving cultural competence in the delivery of mental health care services, assessment of race-based trauma, and interventions to reduce bias. She has served as principal investigator on a multisite trial for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD at the University of Connecticut Health Center. She also gives trainings nationally for clinical psychology programs, scientific conferences, and community organizations.
Dr. Williams is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), having served as a delegate from Kentucky for the APA State Leadership Conference for two consecutive years. She was also the African American SIG leader for Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) for many years, and she is currently an associate editor of Behavior Therapy and New Ideas in Psychology. She serves on the editorial board of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and the Journal of Obsessive Compulsive & Related Disorders. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation, and also serves on the steering committee of their Diversity Council. She has been featured in several major media outlets, including NPR, USA Today, Huffington Post, CNN, and the New York Times.
To contact Dr. Williams by email or for directions to her office at the University of Ottawa, visit her contact page.
Dr. Monnica Williams was honored to give the keynote speech at the 2017 American Psychological Association Division 35 Meeting (Society for the Psychology of Women), where she received a Presidential Commendation for her work.
Representative Publications
Books
Williams, M. T. (in press). A Clinician’s Guide to Healing the Wounds of Racial Trauma: A 12-Session CBT-Based Protocol. Wisconsin: PESI Publishing.
Dames, S., Penn, A., Williams, M., Zamaria, J., Vaz, A., & Rousmaniere, T. (2024). Deliberate Practice in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978-1-4338-4171-2
Williams, M. T. (2020). Managing Microaggressions: Addressing Everyday Racism in Therapeutic Spaces. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780190875237 [intro and contents]
Williams, M. T., Rosen, D. C., & Kanter, J. W. (2019). Eliminating Race-Based Mental Health Disparities: Promoting Equity and Culturally Responsive Care Across Settings. New Harbinger Books. ISBN: 978-1-68403-196-2
Williams, M. T. & Wetterneck, C. T. (2019). Sexual Obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Step-by-Step, Definitive Guide to Understanding, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780190624798. https://doi.org/10.1093/med-psych/9780190624798.001.0001
Scientific Articles
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Pinciotti, C. M., Smith, Z., Singh, S., Wetterneck, C. T., & Williams, M. T. (2022). Call to action: Recommendations for justice-based treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder with sexual orientation and gender themes. Behavior Therapy, 53(2), 153-169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2021.11.001
Wetterneck, C. T., Williams, M. T., Tellawi, G., & Bruce, S. (2016). Treatment of suicide obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder with comorbid major depressive disorder. In E. Storch & A. Lewin (Eds.), Clinical Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders: A Case-Based Approach to Treating Pediatric and Adult Populations (pp. 431-445). Springer.
Williams, M. T., Farris, S. G., Turkheimer, E., Franklin, M. E., Simpson, H. B., Liebowitz, M., & Foa, E. B. (2014). The Impact of Symptom Dimensions on Outcomes for Exposure and Ritual Prevention Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28 (6), 553-558. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.06.001
OCD Related Disorders
Williams, M. T., & Viscusi, J. A. (2016). Hoarding disorder and a systematic review of treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 45(2), 93-110. doi: 10.1080/16506073.2015.1133697
Singh, R., Wetterneck, C. T., Williams, M. T., & Knott, L. E. (2016). The role of shame and symptom severity on quality of life in obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders, 11, 49-55.
Williams, M. T., Sawyer, B., Ellsworth, M., Singh, R., & Tellawi, G. (2017). Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders in ethnoracial minorities: Attitudes, stigma, and barriers to treatment. In J. Abramowitz, D. McKay, & E. Storch (Eds.), The Wiley Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorders, (p. 847-872). Wiley. ISBN: 978-1-118-88964-0
Culture and Trauma
Williams, M. T., Reed, S., & Aggarwal, R. (2020). Culturally-informed research design issues in a study for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychedelic Studies, 4(1), 40–50. doi: 10.1556/2054.2019.016
Williams, M. T., Printz, D., Ching, T. & Wetterneck, C. T. (2018). Assessing PTSD in ethnic and racial minorities: Trauma and racial trauma. Directions in Psychiatry, 38(3), 179-196.
Williams, M. T., Pena, A., & Mier-Chairez, O. (2017). Assessing and Treating Racism-Related Stress and Trauma among Latinos. In L. T. Benuto (Ed.), Toolkit for Counseling Spanish-Speaking Clients. Springer. ISBN: 978-3-319-64880-4
Malcoun, E., Williams, M. T., & Bahojb-Nouri, L. V. (2015). Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in African Americans. In L. T. Benuto & B. D. Leany (Eds.), Guide to Psychological Assessment with African Americans, New York: Springer. ISBN: 978-1-4939-1003-8.
Social Anxiety
Williams, M. T., Capozzoli, M., Buckner, E., & Yusko, D. (2015). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of social anxiety disorder with comorbid schizophrenia. Clinical Case Studies, 14(5), 323-341. doi: 10.1177/1534650114559717
Chapman, L. K., DeLapp, R.C.T., & Williams, M. T. (2013). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Social Anxiety among Ethnic Minority Patients, Part 1: Understanding Differences. Directions in Psychiatry, 33(3), 151-162.
Psychedelic Medicine
Michaels, T. I., Lester, L., de la Salle, S., & Williams, M. T. (2022). Ethnoracial inclusion in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of ketamine in the treatment of mood disorders. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 83(4), 596–607. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2022.83.596
Michaels, T. I., Purdon, J., Collins, A. & Williams, M. T. (2018). Inclusion of people of color in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: A review of the literature. BMC Psychiatry, 18(245), 1-9. doi: 10.1186/s12888-018-1824-6.
Selected Media Coverage
Sims, T. (2023, February 26). What is racial trauma? Clinical psychologist breaks down what it means and how it impacts people. LiveNOW from FOX.
Rogers, K. (2023, February 16). Understanding racial trauma, the mental and emotional injury of racism. CNN.
Hynes, M. (2023, February 12). Psychedelic healing and trauma. Tapestry with Mary Hynes. CBC Radio.
Hughes, V. (2022, November 21). With Anxiety on the Rise, Some Children Try ‘Exposure Therapy’. New York Times.
Access complete CV...
BEHAVIORAL WELLNESS CLINIC
392 MERROW RD, SUITE E
TOLLAND, CT 06084
OFFICE: (860) 830-7838
FAX: (860) 454-0667
EMAIL: clinicalcare@behavioralwellnessclinic.com
CLINICAL DIRECTOR: MONNICA WILLIAMS, PHD
OFFICE MANAGER: JASMINE FAIRFAX
BUSINESS MANAGER: MATTHEW JAHN
FRONT DESK PHONE HOURS
Mo: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Tu: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
We: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Th: 8:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Fr: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Sa: by appointment