Dr. LaShawn C. Williams, LCSW

Relational Change Strategist

Helping you create meaningful change where connection matters most! 

Hi! I’m Dr. LaShawn and I’m so excited to work with you. Here’s a little about how I got started and why I would be honored to journey with you!

My Story

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Doctorate in Education. I believe life is our greatest teacher.

I got into the profession of social work because I wanted to be a emergency room doctor. And a lawyer. And a parent. At the root of each of my childhood dreams was first, loyalty to what I saw my parents doing as healthcare professionals, and second there was a deep desire to help nurture and care for people outside of myself. Once I realized that I wasn’t necessarily fond of bodily fluids, I opted out of pre-medical studies as an undergraduate (then I became a parent & stuck with the bodily fluids of my offspring…).

It was a pretty regular day that I realized I wanted to start advocating for others. It was my sophomore year at university and I was taking a juvenile delinquency class in the criminal justice program. However, it truly felt like the heavens opened up. I knew that I had found my calling: to help people! 

You see, I was the new kid at every school I attended until I got to high school.  At each school, I learned to survive by becoming a listening ear and keeping a quiet mouth (very important!) to the popular kids, the misfits, the knuckleheads, and the nerds. I could see what happened when people felt heard, seen and valued, they started to change their interactions with others. That day during my sophomore year, I knew that I wanted to work with juvenile delinquents. I eventually found my way to social work for graduate school and began studying relational aggression in adolescent females. I completed a Masters degree in Social Work and another in Public Administration, hoping to work as a Federal Probation Officer. 

I ended up in higher education in 2005, working first with student government leaders, and in 2006, I began teaching future social workers. I began pursuing my doctoral education in 2008, focusing on educating health professionals. I studied the use of relationship in the classroom when discussing diversity concepts. In 2012, I became a clinician who worked with gang-affiliated adolescents, children, families, couples and adults. 

I learned the value of connection, the pain of disconnection, and the energy and excitement that came when relationships were transformed. I studied relational movement and the anchoring power of core values which fueled my commitment to empowering others with change strategies in the relationships that matter most. 

My Values & Beliefs

Values as Anchors

I am deeply commited to naming and embracing distinct core values as the engines that drive our relational behaviors. A value must be reciprocal to be effective. 

Believe in Redemption

Contrary to popular belief, there is a connection opportunity in every mistake. When we understand the power of “circling back” to try connection again, we can open the door to redemption in our relationships. 

Embrace our shared Stories

It is rare for anyone to wake up in the morning with a detailed plan to injure our feelings or destroy our relationship. We all have shared stories and shared histories that, once we name and honor them, we can walk forward together towards justice as authentic works in progress. 

My Approach

I am a social worker by trade. We are committed to eliminating oppression at all levels of lived experiences. My primary clinical approach is “Relational Cultural Theory” which is relationship-centered. This means that all of our experiences in life, the positive, neutral and negative, happen in (or in reaction to) relationships. This is the original theory that undergirds all of Brene Brown’s work and it is a powerful method for change.

My secondary approach is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – which is a mindfulness based theory. It addresses the everyday emotional experiences and creates a way of being in clients where they learn to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with their inner emotions and, instead, accept that these deeper feelings are appropriate responses to certain situations that should not prevent them from moving forward in their lives. With this understanding, clients begin to accept their issues and hardships and commit to making necessary changes in their behavior, regardless of what is going on in their lives, and how they feel about it.”

Featured Publications

Engaging Relational Change Series

  • 5 Good Things Printable – Free Reminder
  • Mini-Course: Seeking Connection – 5 Days of Relational Change Prompts & Reflection
  • My Relational Movement – eBook – Coming Soon!

 

Don’t Wait Any Longer.

Let’s Create your

Relational Change Strategy Today!