Timothy F. Williams, LPC

Tim’s commitment to working in the Mental Health theater was to follow his academic advisor who stated, “Do not go into a line of work that you would not be willing to do for free.” This saw Tim learn the importance of giving oneself to the help of others when volunteering at a guidance center’s telephone crisis hotline. Catching the bug that is common for those referred to as “Adrenalin filled, Crisis-seeking Junkies”, Tim transitioned to volunteering with emergency services and law-enforcement for in-person crisis intervention in the community. Tim added his becoming an emergency medical technician for two years, which gave him some time and exposure to those providing hands-on medical care.

Tim settled into his career, then transitioning from being a case manager to becoming an agencies first Counselor/Case Manager, with conviction that those experiencing schizophrenia or other major mental anomaly benefit from deserving means of therapy and support in the treatment community. This saw Tim “Run against the grain’ and become very involved in a pivotal movement in the late 1980s, supporting a class action lawsuit that persons, regardless of their position in life, which may have had history in the state hospital, deserve a viable and passionate care. Tim’s advocacy saw the evolution from “Seeds of Crisis“ to “Seeds of Change“, when it comes to the provision community mental health care.

Still not big on wanting to see persons “labeled“, Tim graduated to achieving his Masters in the Human Services field, so to be able to have a more powerful impact on one’s recovery journey. This saw Tim continuing to commit to the practice of counseling, from practitioner to supervisor, and then director of several mental health programs. This included work in the crisis center, re-entry residential program, medical hospital and long-term care facility, as well as in-home and in-clinic practice until settling into rural community mental health settings. Tim’s next step was to join a most honourable service to his career.

When the world changed after 9/11, Tim, in 2002, became an initial member of the Arizona 1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). DMAT’s had been utilized for several decades previously, under the United State’s President’s Disaster Declarations. They are Federal Emergency Response Deployments under USERRA protection for Civilian Responders, with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)-Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)-National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)-Disaster Medical Assistance Teams. In 2003, DMAT’s were placed under the United States Department of Homeland Security with Tim being recognized as a Founding Member. Comprising over 3 dozen medical and command staff to compilate a mobile Field Hospital, Tim’s position as a Team’s Mental Health Specialist works directly with this cadre’ of medical professionals to mitigate stress for their safe return home following the 14-day Deployments. While remaining active to being on-call for 3 months each year, Tim’s 11 Deployments include Hurricane’s Ivan and Katrina in 2004 and 2005, Respectively. Tim received Honourable medals in 2022, for his 4 deployments during the COVID Pandemic.

Tim remains very committed to working with nonprofit community mental health agencies. He has the distinction and privilege of over a dozen years being trained and mentoring the modicum of Eco-Systemic Structural Family Therapy. This powerful and impacting therapy works with the family, and the child, focusing on strength-based resilience when one has experienced traumatic and life altering situations.

Tim manages as well an independent therapy practice of his own, including his work with a myriad of insurance companies and entities needing Critical Incident Response intervention. Tim’s tireless conviction has provided the welcome enhancement for professionals by providing mentorship as well as Master’s supervision for those earning their Professional Master’s Licensure in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

• Northern Arizona University - MA.Ed., Counselling and Human Relations

• Licensed Professional Counselor

• presented metals from Health and Human Services Asper, following multiple deployments with disaster medical teams as part of the Covid pandemic

• ICISF

• Arizona Disaster Medical Assistance Team (AZ-1 DMAT)

No room at the end: on the spot, Mental Health intervention for hurricane Katrina

Presentations surrounding mental health intervention in crisis scenario

Mental health resilience for the disaster responder