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Nathaniel Williams, Ph.D., LCSW

Associate Professor

Nate Williams, Social Work, Studio Portrait

Contact Information

Office: Education Building, 711
Email: natewilliams@boisestate.edu
Phone: (208) 426-3145
Office Hours: By Appointment

Curriculum Vitae
Research Spotlight

Nathaniel Williams, Ph.D., LCSW is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Boise State University, Research and Program Evaluation Coordinator in Boise State University’s Institute for the Study of Behavioral Health and Addiction, and a licensed clinical social worker. His research focuses on improving the quality of mental health services for youth.

As an implementation scientist, much of Dr. Williams’ work seeks to improve the uptake and implementation of empirically-supported clinical interventions in mental health settings that serve youth. He has substantive expertise in issues related to organizational climate and leadership. His methodological expertise focuses on multilevel study design and testing mechanisms that explain how implementation strategies change practice. Dr. Williams is deeply committed to partnered research that generates meaningful improvements in systems and human well-being.

Currently, Dr. Williams serves as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on numerous studies funded by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health and the State of Idaho. He is PI of an NIMH-funded, hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation trial testing strategies to improve the implementation of digital measurement-based care in youth mental health services (R01MH119127), PI of a methods-focused R21 to improve power calculations in implementation research (R21MH126076), and PI of a statewide evaluation of Idaho’s Youth Empowerment Services system-of-care for youth and families (BC044900). He previously served as Co-Director of the Methods Core in the University of Pennsylvania’s NIMH ALACRITY Center on the integration of implementation science and behavioral economics (P50MH113840).

Dr. Williams holds a bachelor of arts degree in social science and master of social work degree from Boise State University. He has a doctorate of philosophy degree in social work, with a minor in statistics, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is the recipient of multiple awards including an NIMH Ruth L. Kirschstein individual pre-doctoral fellowship (F31) and a translational research scholar award from the Institute for Translational Health Sciences at the University of Washington.

Areas of Research

  • Implementation Science
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
  • Organizational Culture and Climate
  • Organizational Implementation Strategies
  • Mechanisms of Change
  • Multilevel Modeling
  • Mediation and Moderation Analysis

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  • Williams, N. J., Preacher, K. J., Allison, P. D., & Marcus, S. C. (2022). Required sample size to detect mediation in 3-level implementation studies. Implementation Science, 17(66), 1-13.
  • Williams, N. J., Becker-Haimes, E. M., Schriger, S., Beidas, R. S. (2022). Linking organizational climate for evidence-based practice implementation to observed clinician behavior in patient encounters: a lagged analysis. Implementation Science Communications, 3(64), 1-14. doi.org/10.1186/s43058-022-00309-y
  • Williams, N. J., Hugh, M. L., Cooney, D. J., Worley, J., & Locke, J. (2022). Testing a theory of implementation leadership and climate across autism evidence-based interventions of varying complexity. Behavior Therapy, 53(5), 900-912.
  • Williams, N. J., Beauchemin, J., Giuntini, G., Griffis, J., & Mo, Y. (2022). Psychometric evaluation of a pragmatic measure for assessing adherence to System of Care principles in behavioral health service interactions. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 30(3), 221-234.
  • Stanhope, V., Choy-Brown, M., Williams, N. J., & Marcus, S. (2021). Implementing person centered care planning: A randomized controlled trial. Psychiatric Services, 72, 641-646.
  • Williams, N. J., Frederick, L., Ching, A., Mandell, D., Kang-Yi, C., & Locke, J. (2021). Embedding school cultures and climates that promote evidence-based practice implementation for youth with autism: A qualitative study. Autism, 25(4), 982-994.
  • Williams, N. J., Benjamin-Wolk, C., Becker-Haimes, E. M., & Beidas, R. S. (2020). Testing a theory of strategic implementation leadership, implementation climate, and clinicians’ use of evidence-based practice: A 5-year panel analysis. Implementation Science, 15(1), 10.
  • Beidas, R. S., Williams, N. J., Becker-Haimes, E., Aarons, G. A., Barg, F., Evans, A., Hadley, T., Hoagwood, K., Marcus, S. C., Neimark, G., Rubin, R., Schoenwald, S., Adams, D., Walsh, L., Zentgraf, K., & Mandell, D. S. (2019). A repeated cross-sectional study of clinicians’ use of psychotherapy techniques during 5 years of a system-wide effort to implement evidence-based practices in Philadelphia. Implementation Science, 14(1), 67.
  • Williams, N. J., & Beidas, R. S. (2019). Annual research review: The state of implementation science in child psychology and psychiatry: A review and suggestions to advance the field. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(4), 430-450.
  • Williams, N. J., Frank, H. E., Fredrick, L., Beidas, R. S., Mandell, D. S., Aarons, G. A., Green, P., & Locke, J. (2019). Organizational culture and climate profiles: Relationships with fidelity to three evidence-based practices for autism in elementary schools. Implementation Science, 14(1), 15.
  • Powell, B. J., Fernandez, M. E., Williams, N. J., Aarons, G. A., Beidas, R. S., Lewis, C. C., McHugh, S.  M., & Weiner, B. J. (2019). Enhancing the impact of implementation strategies in healthcare: A research agenda. Frontiers in Public Health, 7, 1-9.
  • Williams, N. J., Ehrhart, M. G., Aarons, G. A., Marcus, S. C., & Beidas, R. S. (2018). Linking molar organizational climate and strategic implementation climate to clinicians’ use of evidence-based psychotherapy techniques: Cross-sectional and lagged analyses from a two-year observational study. Implementation Science 13:85. doi: 10.1186/s13012-018-0781-2
  • Williams, N. J., Scott, L., & Aarons, G. A. (2018). Prevalence of serious emotional disturbance among US children: A meta-analysis. Psychiatric Services, 69, 32-40.
  • Williams, N. J., Glisson, C., Hemmelgarn, A., & Green, P. (2017). Mechanisms of change in the ARC organizational strategy: Increasing mental health clinicians’ EBP adoption through improved organizational culture and capacity. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 44, 269-283
  • Williams, N. J. (2016). Assessing mental health clinicians’ intentions to adopt evidence-based treatments: Reliability and validity testing of the evidence-based treatment intentions scale. Implementation Science, 11(60). doi: 10.1186/s13012-016-0417-3
  • Glisson, C., Williams, N. J., Hemmelgarn, A., Proctor, E. K., & Green, P. (2016). Aligning organizational priorities with ARC to improve youth mental health service outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 84, 713-725.
  • Williams, N. J. (2016). Multilevel mechanisms of implementation strategies in mental health: Integrating theory, research, and practice. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 43, 783-798.
  • Glisson, C., & Williams, N. J. (2015). Assessing and changing organizational social contexts for effective mental health services. Annual Review of Public Health, 36, 507-523.
  • Williams, N. J., & Glisson, C. (2014). Testing a theory of organizational culture, climate and youth outcomes in child welfare systems: A United States national study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38, 757-767.
  • Williams, N. J., & Glisson, C. (2013). Reducing turnover is not enough: The need for proficient organizational cultures to support positive youth outcomes in child welfare. Children and Youth Services Review, 35, 1871-1877.
  • Glisson, C., Hemmelgarn, A., Green, P., & Williams, N. J. (2013). Randomized trial of the availability, responsiveness, and continuity (ARC) organizational intervention for improving youth outcomes in community mental health programs. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 52, 493-500.
  • Glisson, C., Hemmelgarn, A., Green, P., Dukes, D., Atkinson, S., & Williams, N. J. (2012). Randomized trial of the availability, responsiveness, and continuity (ARC) organizational intervention with community-based mental health programs and clinicians serving youth. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 51, 780-787.
  • Glisson, C., Green, P., & Williams, N. J. (2012). Assessing the organizational social context (OSC) of child welfare systems: Implications for research and practice. Child Abuse & Neglect, 36, 621-632.

Book Chapters

  • Williams, N. J., & Glisson, C. (2020). Changing organizational social context to support evidence-based practice implementation: A conceptual and empirical review. In B. Albers, A. Shlonsky, & R. Mildon (Eds.), Implementation Science 3.0. (pp. 145-172). New York: Springer. (Link to chapter here)
  • Williams, N. J., & Glisson, C. (2014). The role of organizational culture and climate in the dissemination and implementation of empirically-supported treatments for youth. In R. Beidas, & P. Kendall (Eds.), Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (pp. 61-81). New York: Oxford University Press.

Technical Reports

  • Williams, N. J., & Beauchemin, J. (2022). Idaho Youth Empowerment Services (YES) family survey results, 2022. [Report to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Behavioral Health]. Boise, ID: Boise State University.
  • Williams, N. J. (2021). “How can we be sure kids are getting what they need?” A scoping review of quality measures for child behavioral health. [Report to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Behavioral Health]. Boise, ID: Boise State University.
  • Williams, N. J., & Beauchemin, J. (2021). Idaho Youth Empowerment Services (YES) family survey results 2021. [Report to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Behavioral Health]. Boise, ID: Boise State University.
  • Williams, N. J., Beauchemin, J., Giuntini, G., & Hall, S. (2020). Idaho Youth Empowerment Services (YES) family survey results 2020. [Report to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Behavioral Health]. Boise, ID: Boise State University.
  • Williams, N. J., & O’Reilly, N. (2018). Idaho Youth Empowerment Services (YES) workforce capacity and gaps analysis. [Report to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Behavioral Health]. Boise, ID: Boise State University.
Google Scholar Citations