Hi there! I consider myself to be a metropolitan psychologist with a southern flair. I have developed a style of working with people that is a careful combination of my extensive training, personality, and passion for helping folx actualize their best selves. I approach teaching and working with students and supervisees in a similar way, encouraging reflective thinking, perspective taking, and taking a problem-solving approach to working with areas of vulnerability. I desire to create safe learning environments where things that happen can be seen not as problems but as growth opportunities, and training environments that feel collaborative so that students can own the bulk of the development they see in themselves and their practice over our time together.
My clinical and research interests include minority identity development, microaggressions, intersectionality, grief, trauma, couples therapy, human sexuality, community psychology, and more recently, the impact that social media has on both self-image/worth/esteem and the development and maintenance of intra- and interpersonal relationships. I look forward to partnering with students and faculty across disciplines around research that speaks to the lived experiences of Black people within those interest areas.
Erika Dawkins, assistant professor of clinical psychology, offers insight into teens' usage of TikTok. Dawkins notes that TikTok and other social media platforms are often a source of social connections and community building for teens.
In this article examining Black maternal mental and physical health challenges, Erika Dawkins, an assistant professor of clinical psychology, is one of the experts advocating for holistic, comprehensive medical care.
Erika Dawkins, assistant professor of clinical psychology, is quoted discussing sexuality.
Erika Dawkins, assistant professor in the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology, was named the 2025 Early Career Psychologist of the Year by the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. Presented by the Early Career Psychologists Committee, this prestigious award recognizes the impact made by an early-career psychologist. As a clinician, educator, and researcher, Dawkins has made meaningful contributions to the psychology field. In addition to her role at Widener, Dawkins is also the owner of Revolutionary Perspectives, LLC, a coaching and consulting firm dedicated to one's emotional well-being.
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Erika Dawkins, assistant professor in the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology, was named the 2024 Outstanding State/Provincial/Territorial Association Early Career Psychologist Leader. The award, given by the American Psychology Association (APA), honors an early career psychologist whose distinguished contributions and service demonstrate outstanding leadership in the State, Provincial and Territorial Psychological Association division of the APA.
Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/erika-dawkins-named-early-career-psychologist-leader