Michelle Williams
Doctorate in Social Work
Presenter's Bio
Dr. Williams currently works at the University of the Virgin Islands’ in the Social Work Department as an Assistant Professor on the St. Croix Campus, while simultaneously maintaining her private practices, Willow Tree Wellness, founded in 2019 and Open Water Wellness, started in 2025. She also currently serves as Health Equity Project Coordinator at Westfield State University beginning in August 2022.
She brings more than thirteen years of experience working on interdisciplinary teams, with a focus on fidelity to evidence-based models and the development of outcome-oriented treatment plans. In addition, she has served as Director of two community-based programs that delivered critical services to vulnerable and medically underserved families, where she integrated assessments of social determinants of health (SDOH) into direct service and program design.
Dr. Williams earned her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) from the University of Southern California in 2020. Her doctoral research focused on systemic change in maternal health, examining the intersection of prenatal opioid use, attachment styles, and neglect. From this work, she developed a screening tool to identify mothers at risk of neglecting their newborns, thereby enabling the implementation of targeted maternal support interventions. She holds a Master's degree, also from University of Southern California, and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Central Connecticut State University, where her early training in the study of social structures, inequality, and human behavior laid the foundation for her commitment to addressing the complex interplay between health, social systems, and family well-being.
Rooted in Resilience: The Role of Social Workers in Advancing Maternal Mental Health in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Course Summary
Across the U.S. Virgin Islands, maternal mental health remains an underrecognized yet urgent public health priority. Many mothers experience the emotional and systemic weight of isolation, limited access to care, and cultural stigma surrounding mental illness and help-seeking. Within this context, social workers occupy a powerful and often underutilized role—serving not only as clinicians, but as community advocates, educators, and bridge-builders across fragmented systems of care.
This session will explore how social workers in the USVI can lead efforts to close the maternal mental health gap through culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and community-driven interventions. Drawing on emerging collaborative work with Dr. Angelina Prince and the University of the Virgin Islands, the presentation highlights how interdisciplinary partnerships with the Department of Health, OB-GYN providers, and hospitals across St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John can create a sustainable model of integrated care for perinatal women.
Attendees will examine local barriers such as limited screening tools, stigma, and gaps in postpartum follow-up and discuss practical strategies for system-level change, including policy advocacy, interprofessional education, and grassroots outreach. Emphasis will be placed on the intersection of clinical skill and social innovation demonstrating how social workers can lead not only in therapeutic spaces, but also in shaping equitable systems of care that honor the unique cultural fabric of island life.
By the end of this session, participants will leave grounded in both evidence and hope, equipped with actionable strategies to strengthen maternal mental health outcomes in the Caribbean context and inspired to reimagine their professional role as agents of change.