Dr. Monica Williams Wins National ACPA Award

February 9, 2015

Though she is still in the relatively early stages of her career, Dr. Monica Williams, a licensed psychologist and practicum coordinator at the Georgia Southern Counseling Center, is setting herself apart on a national scale. The American College Personnel Association (ACPA) recently selected her as the winner of the 2015 Commission for Counseling and Psychological Services (CCAPS) - Early Career Achievement Award. This award honors the “exemplary achievements of an individual’s early significant contributions to the field of college and university counseling and psychological services.” “It’s exciting, but it hasn’t completely hit me yet,” said Williams. “I was shocked because I work with so many wonderful people at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and I’m sure there was some stiff competition.” Williams did indeed face stiff competition. The ACPA boasts nearly 7,500 members from 1,200 public and private institutions across the U.S. and around the world. The CCAPS Awards Committee received nominations in the form of personal letters, discussing the significance of Williams’ contributions to the field. Those letters came from both inside and outside the confines of Statesboro. “She had nominations from Georgia Southern, but I know she also had multiple nominations from across the country,” said Dr. Jodi Caldwell, director of the Counseling Center. “She’s chaired several committees with ACPA and she’s come up with a lot of really creative ways to get students to come into the Center before feeling extremely anxious.” “I could go on and on about her achievements,” she added. Williams’ achievements include revamping the graduate training program as well as creating the Field Experience program for undergraduate students to get exposure to mental health in several specializations. She also created the Resiliency 101 class, which allows undergraduate students from any degree program to get course credit while learning mental health coping skills. “This generation lacks in coping skills,” Caldwell said. “They have less stress tolerance and have less coping skills for strong emotions. This leads to higher rates of stress and depression. We have to find a way to intervene early, and [Williams] is finding creative ways to access these students.” Williams will travel to the ACPA Conference and Awards Ceremony in Tampa, Florida, on March 6 to receive her honorary certificate and lapel pin.