Rachelle D. Williams

Rachelle D. Williams is a licensed clinical, forensic social worker with over two decades of experience in advocacy, criminal justice and mental health. She is the Director of Social Work with the Federal Defenders of New York, where she provides advocacy, mitigation, and social work support.  Mrs. Williams serves as a practicum instructor for graduate social work students from Columbia University, New York University, Fordham University and Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.

Mrs. Williams is passionate about defense based social work, with a unique focus on how to utilize clinical skills in advocacy to center the voices of her clients. She has conducted trainings and workshops across the country, teaching members of the defense team on topics ranging from holistic defense practice to persuasive writing, engagement skills, and mitigation/sentencing advocacy. Mrs. Williams has served as a guest presenter at NYU, Columbia, and Yale Law Schools, and has been retained as expert consultant in defense-initiated victim outreach with Yale.

In addition to her role as a defense based social worker, Mrs. Williams teaches the seminar for field instructors (SIFI) with CUSSW and has served as an advisor for first- and second-year students. She also teaches the practice lab at Silberman School of Social Work (Hunter College). The yearlong course utilizes mindfulness, practice wisdom, and anti-oppressive liberatory theories to equip students with foundation competencies in social work practice, with an emphasis on applying essential concepts and skills across social work methods. Mrs. Williams believes in co-creating a learning space where students can experience education as the practice of freedom and resistance. She aspires to teach students to understand the context in which social work is practice, while encouraging them to become critically reflexive practitioners. 

Rachelle received her B.A. in psychology and philosophy from Columbia University (CC ’07) and her Master of Social Work from Hunter College (’10). She has worked as a clinician, educator, and advocate in myriad roles within the field of social work. She attributes her commitment to liberatory social justice work practice to her brothers, relatives and community members who continue to be harmed these oppressive systems and institutions. She is a facilitator, mentor, community member and systems thinker grounded in direct practice in the present for individual and collective liberation in the future.