Danett B. Williams

A school psychologist, Danett Williams pioneered a Therapeutic Partial Day Treatment Program
for emotionally disturbed students at a public TK-8 charter school in the underserved area of
East Oakland. She is the Lead Mental Health Clinician for this program that is, also, unparalleled
in her charter school’s region. Danett’s focus is working with children suffering from
trauma/adverse childhood experiences who struggle with PTSD, dissociative disorders,
attachment disorders, grief, or whom may otherwise experience severe externalizing and
internalizing behaviors. Danett concentrates on viewing her students’ difficulties through a
neurodevelopmental lens.
Danett’s passion in working with this population of students can be traced back to her
childhood partially spent within the foster care system wherein she encountered other children
from many walks of life. Danett expresses that school is more than a place of learning, but also
for some students, school may be the only safe place. Danett finds it crucial to train teachers
and staff regarding childhood trauma, specifically regarding the neurobiology of trauma and
adverse childhood experiences, so that staff can approach students and families from the more
appropriate trauma-sensitive mindset. Knowing that positive attachment relationships at
school have the power to rewire a child’s brain, Danett believes that all schools ought to be
trauma-informed schools with trauma-informed procedures, practices, and life-changing
relationships.
Danett is also fervent about child sex trafficking within the United States and has worked for
Foster Care Kinship training foster parents and related staff regarding this topic. In the last year,
she has spent time public speaking at various venues (e.g. churches, Rotary, etc.) regarding
domestic child sex trafficking, particularly familial trafficking. Now, working with S.H.A.D.E.
Movement in the San Francisco Bay Area, she continues to serve as a community public speaker
in an effort to educate, bring awareness, and prevent child sex trafficking within America. She
has strategically chosen the Bay Area within which to live since it is a major hub of child sex
trafficking. Danett’s life goal is to one day create a residential for sexually trafficked boys. It
would be only the second of its kind in the nation.
Danett currently holds an Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology from the
University of Missouri, Saint Louis, and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology from
Webster University. Danett is co-chair of the Child Trauma Special Interest Group for the
International Society of the Study of Traumatic Stress. She is currently independently studying
to become a Registered Play Therapist. Danett believes that all children can grow and change
and hopes that faithful use of the Neurosequential model shall help the children with whom
she works in a more meaningful way. As an Ana Grace Scholar, Danett wishes to utilize NMT
with children at her school and also eventually conduct research to determine the clinical
efficacy of NMT with such an underserved population.
When not engaged in activities for and with children, Danett is sure to find time to walk on the
beach, hike, bike, build a campfire, camp, or some other activity in in the great outdoors, at

least once per week. Normally she can be found with her 45-pound collie mix, Angel, trying to
soak up whatever rays of San Francisco sunshine she can find.