Dr. Ayanna Williams, DNP, PMHNP-BC
Dr. Williams is a doctoral prepared, board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and has been in the nursing profession for 26 years. Her nursing career started from humble beginnings as a nurse aid in 1991. She then progressed to a licensed practical nurse, a registered nurse and then to a doctoral prepared psychiatric nurse practitioner. Dr. Williams has had an interest in mental health and behavioral science since her teen years. Throughout her many years as a nurse and in many diverse roles, her passion for mental health never died. Her interest in a career focused on mental health was re-invigorated when she learned about the role of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. It was then that she embarked on a journey into what has blossomed into a career dedicated to understanding and helping those with mental health challenges.
Dr. Williams also specializes in substance abuse treatment and recognizes the integral role of substance abuse in many mental health disorders. Her passion for understanding and treating substance abuse is partially driven by growing up in a family where substance abuse was a prevalent part of the family culture. From this unique perspective, as both a healthcare provider and one with lived experience as a child of a substance addicted parent, Dr. Williams recognizes the devastating impact that substance abuse can have on an individual's life and on a family unit. She strives to address substance abuse treatment as an essential part of holistic mental health recovery and cultivate a safe environment for patient self- discovery and healing.