ABOUT

Deonté Williams

Ph.D.

Dr. Deonté Williams is a clinical psychologist dedicated to helping individuals and couples cultivate and maintain meaningful, lasting romantic relationships through the DNA of Love®️ podcast. Specializing in the intersection of intimate relationship formation and trauma recovery, Dr. Williams blends research-based advice with compassionate support, addressing key struggles such as trust, defining love, loneliness, boundary setting, coparenting, communication, and conflict resolution. He has a diverse clinical and empirical background, as he has received training in a multitude of unique environments throughout his tenure as a student, researcher, and veteran clinician of the USAF.

Education

Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA
Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Washington, DC
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology

Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore MD
Bachelors of Arts in General Psychology
Minor: Business

HONORS &AWARDS

Law-In-Action Academic Scholarship
University of Wisconsin Law School

Health Professions Scholarship Program
United States Air Force

Fellowship for Diversity
Palo Alto University, CA

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Aviano Air Base Mental Health Clinic – 31st Medical Group
Staff Psychologist– Aviano, Italy: Mental Health, ADAPT, and Family Advocacy Program Services
• Outpatient mental health clinic for active duty service members
• Conducted individual and group therapy (e.g., including CBT, CPT, P.E., AEDP, ACT, and IRT)

Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center – USAF
Predoctoral Intern: Clinical Psychology Internship Program
Conducted individual and group psychotherapy in multiple areas including:
• Clinical Health Psychology (4 months)
• Outpatient Mental Health Clinic (4 months)
• Neuropsychology (1 month)
• Primary Care Behavioral Health (1 month)
• USAF-specific clinical opportunities including the Behavioral
Analysis Service at JBSA-Lackland (1 month)

VA Palo Alto – CLC with the Department of Education with Assistive Technology at the Psychology Service of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Graduate Practicum Therapist: Mental Health and TechnologyBased Psychological Services
• Inpatient community living center for cognitively, physically, and/or psychologically injured/disabled veterans.
• Conducted individual and group therapy (e.g., including CBT, Digital Behavioral Activation, DBT).

The San Jose VA Clinic, PAVA
Neuropsychology Practicum Therapist: San Jose, CA: Mental Health and Neuropsychological Services
Neuropsychological Assessment Emphasis
• Outpatient mental health clinic for veterans.
• Conducted individual and group therapy (e.g., including CBT, AEDP, ACT, and IRT) and neuropsychological assessment

The Gronowski Center, Palo Alto University
Graduate Therapist: Los Altos, CA: Mental Health and Community Based Services Cognitive Behavioral Emphasis
• Community-based mental health clinic for adults, children, adolescents, older adults, couples, and families.
• Training focused on individual/group therapy, and assessment services.
• Clinical modalities: CBT, AEDP, ACT, EFT, and the Gottman Method for relationship therapy.

College Park Youth and Family Service
Graduate Intern Therapist: College Park MD: Mental Health and Community-Based Services
• Community-based mental health facility.
• Training focused on individual, group, and family therapy.
• Clinical modalities: Child-centered play therapy, sand tray therapy, and relationship enhancement therapy

Research experience

Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research (PAVIR)
Clinical Research Mental Health Interviewer I
Supervisor: Seshadri Mudumbai, M.D.
Research Mentor: Brooke Harris, Ph.D.
• Conducted semi-structured in-person and telephone interview assessments.

The National Institute of Health: NIMH
Technical Post Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training
Awardee (IRTA) – Experimental Therapeutics & Pathophysiology Branch (ETPB) and Section on the Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders
Supervisor: Carlos A. Zarate, MD
Research Mentors: Elizabeth Ballard, Ph.D., David Luckenbaugh, MA
• Conducted magnetoencephalogram (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
• Performed statistical data analysis.

The George Washington University, Washington DC
Research Assistant – The Diverse Family Relationships Lab
Supervisor: Christina Gee, Ph.D.
• Unified Parenting study: community-based, focused on parenting and family relationships of non-cohabiting lowincome parents.
• Research examining relationship processes and adjustment for diverse couples, parents, and families
• Aided with recruitment, screening, and interviewing tasks involving co-parenting processes in non-cohabiting parents.

University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Research Assistant: Comprehensive Assessment and Intervention Program
Supervisor: Andres De Los Reyes, Ph.D.
• Assessed children, adolescents, and adults with regards to how they express mental health concerns and their risk factors.
• Incorporated physiological data, laboratory observations, and behavioral reports in community-based assessments.
• Physiological measurement tools: EEG/Heartrate monitor

Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore MD
Research Assistant
Supervisor: Angela Leonard, EdD.
• Analyzed genealogical data for production and publication of Dr. Leonard’s text on slavery and ancestry in the Eastern U.S.

Other Experience

Andrews Air Force Base– 316th Wing Exercise and Planning
Consulting Officer: Andrews AFB Major Events and Crisis Coordinator
Supervisor: Lt Col Joshua Hampton – Flight Commander
  • Aided in base-wide assessment and coordination of crisis management procedures in the event of major base level emergencies
  • Assisted in the operational procedures associated with streamlining crisis communication efforts between all members of base/installation leadership

Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Office of Alcohol Policy and Education
Alcohol Educator
Supervisor: Natalie Thomas, MA
• Conducted interviews with students about problems related to alcohol use.
• Assisted students in developing plans for safe and healthy drinking behavior.

American Psychological Association, Washington, DC
Public Interest Associate for the Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs (OEMA)
Public Affairs Intern
Supervisor: Tiffany G. Townsend, PhD.
• Prepared outreach programs for the 2014 APA Convention.
• Served as event programmer for OEMA’s 2015 Ethnicity and Health in America Series.

PUBLICATIOnS& PRESENTATIONS

A Comparative Utility Score for Digital Health Tools

Burton, J. C., Regala, S., Williams, D., Desai, A., He, H., Aalami, O., … & Mudumbai, S. C. (2022). A Comparative Utility Score for Digital Health Tools. Journal of Medical
Systems, 46(6), 1-7.

Following Love Following You: An Analysis of Social Networking Site Use Behavior as a Function of Relationship Satisfaction and Psychological WellBeing

Williams, D. (2021). Following Love Following You: An Analysis of Social Networking Site Use Behavior as a Function of Relationship Satisfaction and Psychological WellBeing (Doctoral Dissertation, Palo Alto University).

Staring Down the Gauntlet: African American Boys’ Racial Discrimination Experiences in Relation to Positive Development

Williams, D. (March, 2019). Staring Down the Gauntlet: African American Boys’ Racial Discrimination Experiences in Relation to Positive Development. Paper symposium
presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development,
Baltimore, Maryland.

Parsing the heterogeneity of depression: An exploratory factoranalysis across commonly used depression rating scales

Ballard, E. D., Yarrington, J., Farmer, C. A., Lener, M. S., Kadriu, B., Lally, N., Williams, D., … & Zarate, C. A. (2018). Parsing the heterogeneity of depression: An exploratory factor analysis across commonly used depression rating scales. Journal of Affective Disorders, 231(15), 51-57.

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