Henry A. Willis, Ph.D.

My Approach

I draw from different therapeutic modalities and techniques, primarily using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in addition to other evidence-based treatments and methods, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Treatment (DBT), psychodynamic approaches, among others. I also have extensive experience in psychological testing and assessment. I attempt to use an integrated approach between assessment and psychotherapy to meet your needs. In my work, I seek to explore how varying systems influence psychological functioning. For example, I believe treatments work best when clinicians take into account those factors that influence symptoms prior to the first session, and the real-life factors that influence clients when they leave every psychotherapy session (e.g., social support, stigma, sociocultural stress, etc.).

Professional Background

I graduated from the Clinical Psychology program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I received my B.S. in psychology from Howard University and my M.A. in clinical psychology from Columbia University. My dissertation was titled “Developing Culturally-Adapted Mobile-Health Interventions: A Multi-study Mixed Methods Approach”, and was funded by various institutions (The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, UNC Chapel Hill, etc.). I have published numerous studies in scientific, peer-reviewed journals. My research interests include exploring the relationship between online and offline racial discrimination and mental health outcomes, understanding sociocultural protective factors (i.e., racial identity) and how they impact psychopathology (i.e., obsessive-compulsive disorder) within African Americans, creating cultural adaptations of evidence-based treatments, and utilizing mobile-health technology to increase access to mental health treatments for underserved populations.
Clinically, I have extensive experience with working with children, adolescents, families, emerging adults, and adults across the lifespan and experience treating a variety of disorders (depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, disruptive behavior disorders, ADHD, substance use, panic attacks, etc.). I have worked with diverse populations in various settings (inpatient hospitals, outpatient hospitals, university settings, homeless shelters, schools, etc.).