Dr Antony Williams
BSc, PGCE, MA, MSc, EdD, C.Psychol
School of Education
Senior University Teacher
+44 114 222 8119
Full contact details
School of Education
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
- Research interests
-
Tony's research interests are focused on areas of critical psychology and psychoanalytic concepts and theory.
To date, his research has focused on contributing to the concept of critical educational psychology. Related areas of interest include group dynamics, conceptions of mental health and emotional wellbeing, case study research and the use of reflexive and interpretative research methods.
- Publications
-
Books
- Critical Educational Psychology. Wiley-Blackwell..
Journal articles
- Recognising the role of emotion in the classroom; an examination of how the psychoanalytic theory of containment influences learning capacity. Psychodynamic Practice, 25(1), 33-43.
- Exploring How Chinese Primary School Psychological Counsellors Understand and Use Therapeutic Stories. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 41(1), 137-154.
- 'Only the wind hears you...' The experiences of Pakistani girls in a primary school: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Educational & Child Psychology, 32(2). View this article in WRRO
- Critical Educational Psychology: Fostering Emancipatory Potential within the Therapeutic Project. Power and Education, 5(3), 304-317.
- Critical reflective practice: exploring a reflective group forum through the use of Bion’s theory of group processes. Reflective Practice, 14(1), 75-87.
- Research priorities for the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond: A call to action for psychological science. British Journal of Psychology.
Chapters
- The problematisation of children and the celebration of difference In Hobbs, C & Hardy J (Ed.), qualitative methodologies and voice of the child (pp. 46-54). Leicester: The British Psychological Society.
- The national and international growth in Qualitative research within the field of educational psychology In Hobbs C & Hardy J (Ed.), Using qualitative research to hear the voice of the children and young people (pp. 1-13). Leicester: The British psychological society.
- ‘Being’ dyslexic in higher education: reflections on discourse and identity In Goodley D, Corcoran T, Billington T & Williams A (Ed.), Critical Educational Psychology (pp. 250-259). John Wiley & Sons
- Are We All Psychologists Now? In williams AR, billington T, goodley D & corcoran T (Ed.), Critical Educational Psychology (pp. 127-134). West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons.
- Psychoanalysis In Williams AR, Billington T, Goodley D & Corcoran T (Ed.), Critical Educational Psychology (pp. 52-60). West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons.
- Critical Educational Psychology. Wiley-Blackwell..
- Teaching interests
-
Tony is the Academic Director of the Doctor of Educational and Child Psychology (DEdCPsy). This is a three-year full-time course approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), accredited by the British Psychological Society and recognised by the Department for Education as a course of professional training in Educational Psychology.
Tony teaches on the BA Education, Culture and Childhood; on the MA in Psychology and Education; and on the EdD programme. He supervises a diverse range of PhD students
Teaching and research is orientated by:
- approaches to praxis, theory and research which show awareness of the power disparities inherent in any given situation
- a critical attitude which problematises attempts to speak of and for others
- an awareness that there are multiple truths, stories and voices at play in any situation and attempts to find out and understand different ways of exploring these voices
- efforts to articulate thinking (our own perspective) and to make it accessible to each other
- Professional activities and memberships
-
- Organiser of the 2015 Psychoanalysis and Education Conference
- Lead editor for Educational & Child Psychology Vol 32 No 2 June 2015: 'Race', Culture and Ethnicity in Educational Psychology
- Chartered Psychologist and HPC registered Educational Psychologist
- Editorial board member of Education and Child Psychology
- Member of the Association of Educational Psychologists
- Member of the BPS Division of Educational and Child Psychology committee
- Reviewer for Journal of Early Childhood Research
- Convener of the Critical Psychology and Equity Studies in Education Seminar Series
Conference presentations
- 2013 Are we all in it together? Can educational psychology be critical? Discourse Power Resistance Conference.
- Psychoanalysis and Education Conference, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK.
- 2012 Attacks on thinking: Containment outside the clinic (Paper presentation)
- Association of Educational Psychologists Annual Course and Conference
- 2011 Exploring emotional well-being as a systemic phenomenon, working with parents (Seminar)
- British Psychological Society Division of Educational and Child Psychology Annual Conference
- 2006 Strength Based Practice Solution Focused Language and Techniques (Seminar)
- 2007 Developing Resilience through Relationship (Seminar)
Other
Tony has previously taught in Local Authority schools, a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) and a Health Service led adolescent unit before becoming an Assistant Educational Psychologist and then entering professional training in Educational Psychology. During this time Tony obtained a Masters Degree in Solution Focused Brief Therapy (University of Birmingham). Tony currently works part-time for Wakefield District Council and previously led the Authority's implementation of the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) programme. Prior to a previous career in teaching, Tony had obtained a degree in Physical Education and Sports Science (University of Loughborough), a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (University of Loughborough) and enjoyed a brief athletic career and a 400-metre hurdler.