Christian Williams, Ph.D., LMHC

Degrees Earned

Ph.D., Psychology, Concentration: Clinical Psychology, Walden University, 2020
M.S., Psychology, Walden University, February 2017
M.A. Rehabilitation Counseling, Assumption College, 2002
B.A., Social and Rehabilitation Services, Assumption College, 2001

Undergraduate Courses Taught

Addictions: Etiology, Assessment, Treatment and Rehabilitation 
Client Information and Assessment 
Human Development and Disability Across the Lifespan 
Interviewing Techniques in the Human Services 
Introduction to Health, Human and Rehabilitation Services 
Social Skill Development Strategies for Youth 
Family Aspects of Disability 
Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Loss and Bereavement Across the Lifespan

Media Appearances

Why are people behaving so badly these days? (Boston 25)
Young people hit hard by pandemic, now more college students interested in studying mental health (Boston 25)

Publications & Editorships

Williams, C., & Pica-Smith, C. (2022). Camera Use in the Online Classroom: Students and Educators’ Perspectives. European Journal of Teaching and Education, 4(2): 28-51.

Williams, C., Veloria, C., & Harkins, D. (2022). Building Resilient Higher Education Communities: Lessons Learned from Pandemic Teaching. Pedagogy and the Human Sciences, 8 (1). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/phs/vol8/iss1/3

Williams, C. (2022). Virtual qualitative interviews on grief and loss: benefits, challenges, and considerations. SAGE Research Methods Cases.

Williams, C. (2021). To help others, we must care for ourselves: The importance of self-care for peer support workers in substance use recovery. Journal of Addiction & Addictive Disorders, 8(2), 1-6.

Scannell, C. (2021). By helping others we help ourselves: insights from peer support workers in substance use recovery. Advances in Mental Health, 1-10. 

Scannell, C. (2021). Voices of Hope: Substance Use Peer Support in a System of Care. Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, 15, 1-7.

Scannell, C. (2021). Intentional Teaching: Building Resiliency and Trauma-Sensitive Cultures in Schools. In Teacher Education in the 21st Century – Emerging Skills for a Changing World. IntechOpen

Scannell, C. (2020). Parental self-efficacy and parenting through adversity  In Benedetto, L. Editor & Ingrassia, M. Editor (Eds.), Parenting-Studies by an Ecocultural and Transactional Perspective. IntechOpen.

Pica-Smith, C., & Scannell, C. (2020). Teaching and Learning for this Moment: How a Trauma Informed Lens Can Guide Our Praxis. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Higher Education, 5(1), 76-83.

Grants & Awards

Faculty Development Grant Recipient, Assumption University, 2022, Awarded for research study: A Comparative Analysis of Grief Experiences of Stigmatized and Socially Acceptable Deaths.

Summer Honors Fellowship, Assumption University, 2022, Awarded for research study: Accessing Recovery Services during Covid-19: Pathways for the Future

OER Research Fellowship, 2021-2022, Open Education Group
National Organization for Human Services Research Grant, 2021, Awarded for research study: Accessing Recovery Services during Covid-19: Pathways for the Future

Faculty Development Grant Recipient, 2020. Awarded for research study: A Phenomenological Exploration of Clinicians’ Grief Experiences Following Client Overdose Death.

Conferences and Presentations

Williams C. (2022, August 6). After the Overdose, A Clinician’s Experience of Client Opioid Overdose Death. [Conference Presentation]. Rocky Mountain Symposium, Denver, CO.

Williams, C. (2022, June 10). Clinician preparedness [conference presentation]. CDAS (Centre for Death and Society) ‘Institutions and Death’ Conference. University of Bath, UK

Williams, C. (2022, April 23). The relationship between parental self-efficacy and bereavement adjustment in widows with young children. Association for Death, Education, and Counseling, St. Louis, MO 

Williams, C. & Pica-Smith, C. (2022, April 8). Camera Use in Remote and Hybrid Classrooms: Students and Educators’ Perspectives on Creating Community and Supporting Student Engagement and Participation. New England Educational Research Organization, Portsmouth, NH. 

Williams, C. (2021, November 19). The Power of Connection in Substance Use Recovery; By Helping Others we Help Ourselves. National Conference on Addictive Disorders. Baltimore, MD.

Contini, R, M., Pica-Smith, C. & Scannell, C. (2021, September 1). Rethinking Education in Times of Crisis: Assessing and Addressing Educational Inequities Using Systems’ Frameworks, Trauma-Informed Care, and Social Justice Education. European Sociological Association, Barcelona. 

Pica-Smith, C. & Scannell, C. (2021, August 29). Students’ and Educators’ Perspectives on Camera Use in the Classroom: Thinking Through Issues of Inclusion, Equity, Engagement, and Safety on Screens [Conference Presentation]. 4th International Conference on Research in Teaching and Education. London, UK

Scannell, C. (2021, August 13) The Power of Connection in Substance Use Recovery; By Helping Others we Help Ourselves [Conference presentation]. National Conference on Addictive Disorders. Denver, CO

Scannell, C. (2021, June 14). Say Their Names: The Role of Facebook Mutual Support Groups in the Grief Journey of Widow(er)s [Conference presentation]. CDAS, ‘Death, Dying, Technology and Human Mortality’ Conference. University of Bath, UK

Veloria, C., Harksins, D., Scannell, C. (2021, April 27). Shifting Terrain: Stabilizing Practices Grounded in Social-Emotional Well-Being, Humanizing Pedagogies, and Hope. [Conference Presentation]. NPEA, The Urgency of Now: Advancing Educational Access, Equity, and Justice for Students, Boston, MA 

Professional Service

Associate Editor, Journal of Human Services. 2022-present
Associate Editor, Mental Health and Resilience and International Journal. 2022-present
Writer, Human Services Today, National Organization for Human Services. 2022-present
Ad hoc Peer Reviewer, Intercultural Education 2022-present
Reviewer (2021). Association for Psychological Science: APSSC Student Research Award 2021
Reviewer (2020). Association for Psychological Science: APSSC Student Research Award 2020

Professional Affiliations & Licensure

American Psychological Association
Association for Psychological Science
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (license #5654)
Massachusetts Psychological Association
Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association Inc.