My research focuses on developing and nurturing children’s emotional socialization at home paying close attention to the role of parenting.
I aim to improve mental health outcomes for all children. I am especially interested in developing and sharing tools to nurture social-emotional learning in early childhood.
Specifically, my research focuses on providing psychoeducation to parents to help foster and nurture their child’s social-emotional development. I am specifically interested in how Black parents and caregivers engage in adaptive parenting strategies to support their children’s development in the context of societal barriers, such as racism and discrimination. Through my research and community work, I aim to combine my knowledge of evidence-based interventions with practical applications.
My dissertation, “Striving to Do Things Differently”: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Investigation of Tuning In to Kids for Black Parents of Preschoolers, examined the fidelity, efficacy, and acceptability of an evidence-based, emotion-focused parenting program with Black families in the U.S. I employed a sequential-explanatory mixed-methods design to explore Black parents’ perceptions of the program. The Society of the Study of School Psychology Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dissertation grant and a Dissertation Completion Fellowship through the MSU College of Education funded this research.
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- APAGS 2022 Convention Committee
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- Black School Psych Summit 2023
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- APA Convention 2023
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- NASP Convention 2024
Publications
Peer-reviewed articles
Clinkscales, A. Williams, B. J., Sessum, J., & Poole, L. (2025). Racially minoritized graduates regarding the benefits of racially diverse cohorts in school psychology programs. School Psychology Training and Pedagogy, 41(2).
Williams, B. J., & Carlson, J. S. (2024). “Our generation is trying to break some of that resistance to emotions” – A mixed-methods pilot examination of an emotion coaching program for Black parents of preschoolers. Children, 11(7), 803. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070803
Wahman, C. L., Steed, E. A., Houston, K., Daniel, J., Williams, B. J., & Esterer, M. (2024). Blame, shame, and rejection: Families’ experiences with preschool suspension and expulsion. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 68, 214–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.05.010
Williams, B. J., & Carlson, J. S. (2023). Effects of an online emotion socialization intervention for parents of at-risk preschoolers enrolled in Head Start during a global pandemic. HS Dialog: The Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field, 26(1), 15-34. https://doi.org/10.55370/hsdialog.v26i1.1454
Williams, B. J., Poole, L., Esterer, M., Carlson, J. S., Batsche-McKenzie, K., Tate, J., & Shank, J. (2022). Investigating the psychometric properties of the Parent Support Partner Outcome Tool. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 18(1), 143–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2022.2142993
Newsletters & Practice-focused pubs
Williams, B. J., & Poole, L. (2024). Using emotion coaching to promote emotional understanding and regulation for young children in schools. Communiqué, 53(1), 29-31.
Clinkscales, A., Endres, B., Barrett, C.A., & Williams, B. J. (2023). Prioritizing what works: How to change paths for better outcomes. Communiqué, 52(1), 12-16.
Williams, B. J., & Carlson, J. S. (2023). Benefits of engaging Head Start Parents in emotion socialization practices. HS Dialog: The Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field, 26(1), 51-56. https://doi.org/10.55370/hsdialog.v26i1.1509
Book Chapters
Azad, G. F., Williams, B. J., Minton, K., Sheridan, S., & Mandell, D. S. (2020). Partners in school: An Example of Care Coordination to Ensure Consistency of Evidence-Based Practices Across Home and School for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In M. B. McClain, J. D. Shahidullah, & K. R. Mezher (Eds.), Interprofessional Care Coordination for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Translating Research into Practice. Springer Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46295-6_11
Presentations
Williams, B. J., Carlson, J. S., Bishop, H., & Camp, K. (2025, May 1-3). Black Parents’ Perceptions of an Emotion Coaching Parenting Program in the U.S. In K. Farrise Beauvoir (chair), Experiences of Black and Latiné Families With Young Children Engaged in Parenting Interventions. [Symposium]. Society for Research in Child Development 2025 Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
Anyanso, V., Hoard, L., Williams, B. J., & Farrise, K. (2024, July 27). Advocacy within and beyond the ivory tower: Using our voices as psychology grad students [Roundtable]. Psych for Peace & Justice Conference.
Villarreal, J. N., Williams, B. J., & Clinkscales, A. (2024, February 14-17). School-based strategies to facilitate speech from children with Selective Mutism [Mini skills presentation]. National Association of School Psychologists 2024 Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA.
Williams, B. J. & Carlson, J. S. (2024, February 14-17). Efficacy of Tuning in to Kids for Black preschool parents [Poster presentation]. National Association of School Psychologists 2024 Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA.
Williams, B. J., Carlson, J. S., & Hernandez, N. (2023, February 7-10). Emotion-focused parenting interventions for Black families: A systematic review [Paper presentation]. National Association of School Psychologists 2023 Annual Convention, Denver, CO.
Steed, E., Wahman, C., Williams, B., Esterer, M., Serna, K., & Daniel, K. (2022, September 27-30). Families’ experiences with preschool suspension and expulsion [Conference session]. Division for Early Childhood and International Society on Early Intervention Joint Conference, Chicago, IL.
Williams, B. J., Poole, L., Esterer, M. Carlson, J. S., Batsche-McKenzie, K., Tate, J., & Shank, J. (2022, August 4-6). Investigating the psychometric properties of the Parent Support Partners outcome tool [Poster presentation]. American Psychological Association, Minneapolis, MN.
Williams, B. J. & Carlson, J. S. (2021, August 5-7). Pilot study of an online intervention to improve emotional socialization [Poster presentation]. American Psychological Association 2021 Convention, San Diego, CA (virtual).