Monnica Williams, Ph.D. is a board-certified, licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapies. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities, and Director of the Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities. She is the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Connecticut, and Behavioural Wellness Clinic in Ottawa. She has also founded outpatient clinics in Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
Dr. Williams frequently contributes to the public scientific discourse as a media expert. On television she has appeared on PBS, CTV, numerous newscasts, and talk shows. She has appeared on several radio shows, including NPR, and had been featured in all major media outlets in the US and Canada, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, and The Huffington Post. She has written for the New York Times and Slate, and maintains a blog on Psychology Today called Culturally Speaking.
Dr. Williams conducts trainings and lectures for medical residents, community organizations, and treatment providers nationally. She works with organizations and business to improve the racial climate. She lectures and conducts workshops at scientific conferences, including workshops to improve cultural competence. She also conducts workshops and interventions to reduce racism.
Dr. Williams has conducted clinical research on psychological and pharmacological treatments of OCD, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. Her research interests also include the role of culture and race on mental illness. She is an authority on obsessive-compulsive disorder, including sexual orientation-themed OCD (called SO-OCD or HOCD), racial trauma, and one of very few researchers focused on the inclusion of people of color in psychedelic medicine. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles, as well as many book chapters and scientific reports, with a focus on anxiety-related conditions and cultural differences, including articles about therapeutic best practices. These have appeared in scientific journals including Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Behavior Research and Therapy, Clinical Case Studies, Depression and Anxiety, and JAMA Psychiatry. She is currently an associate editor for Behavior Therapy, and she is on the editorial board of the Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, Journal of Psychedelic Studies, International Journal of Mental Health, Canadian Psychology, and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Her work has been funded by local and federal competitive grants, including the National Institutes of Health, Open Society Foundations, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the American Psychological Foundation. She was named one of the top 25 thought leaders in PTSD by PTSD Journal and one of the 16 most influential women shaping the future of psychedelics by Business Insider.
