Expertise: Psychology & Mental Health
Areas of Interest: Sport Psychology, Multicultural Counseling, Foundations of Counseling, Trauma Counseling.
Biography: William D. Parham, Ph.D., ABPP, is a professor in the Counseling Program in the LMU School of Education. He has devoted his professional career to teaching, training, clinical, administrative, and organizational consultation venues. The interplay between sport psychology, multiculturalism/diversity and health psychology represents the three areas of professional emphases with which he has been most associated. He is a licensed psychologist, Board Certified in Counseling Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and Past-President of the Society of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association where he also is recognized as a Fellow in Divisions 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology), 45 (Society for the Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race) and 47(Exercise and Sport Psychology).
Dr. Parham teaches five courses including: Trauma Counseling: Theories & Interventions; Multicultural Counseling; Foundations of Counseling; Lifespan Development and Social, Emotional and Behavioral Functioning. He serves on department, school and university committees.
For most of his professional career, Dr. Parham has focused on working with athletes across organizations (e.g. National Basketball Association; National Football League; Major League Baseball; Unites States Olympic Committee; United States Tennis Association; Major League Soccer, UCLA, UC Irvine) across levels (e.g., professional elite, amateur, collegiate and youth) and across sports (e.g. basketball, football, gymnastics, softball, baseball, track and field, tennis, golf, swimming, volleyball, figure skating). He has also worked with performance artists in drama, theatre and music. Currently, Dr. Parham serves as the inaugural Director of the Mental Health and Wellness Program of the National Basketball Players Association.
Dr. Parham’s emphasis on personal empowerment, discovering and cultivating innate talents and looking for opportunities in every situation are trademark foci. He is widely known through his scholarship and conversations with domestic and international audiences for his work on the interplay between sport psychology, multiculturalism/diversity, trauma, and health psychology. He participates on local, state and national boards, committees, task forces and governance adding to the visible ways in which he tries to make a difference.
Full faculty profile | Contact William D. Parham
