Norissa Williams

Norissa Williams obtained a BA with a major in Human Services and a minor in Psychology from St John’s University, and a Master’s in Social Work from Stony Brook University. Since obtaining these degree’s she has worked in various social work settings with culturally diverse families conducting individual, family, group and substance abuse counseling. Thereafter, impassioned with the desire to create interventions and work at the community level, Norissa returned back to school at Fordham University in the Fall of 2008. She obtained a PhD in Applied Developmental Psychology in 2014 and currently teaches at New York University in the Department of Applied Psychology. She has taught several psychology and social work classes in schools across NYC and at Walden University for the past 10 years.

Dr. Williams main research interests are as it pertains to cultural competence, racial socialization, cross cultural differences in the development of coping skills and other mental health related behaviors (i.e., help seeking and causal attributions). She is currently studying the impact of the current racial climate in the United States on messages black parents use to socialize their children about race and another project exploring therapists perceptions of the needs of their Caribbean clients.

At Walden, Dr. Williams has served as a contributing faculty member in the Master's in Social Work program since 2016.

Education

PhD, Fordham University

MSW, Stony Brook University

BS, St. John's University