Willie Thomas Boddie, Jr. is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in Frankfort, Kentucky, since 2016. He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Social Work degree at the University of Kentucky. He previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Auburn University at Montgomery and a Master of Social Work from the University of Kentucky.
Mr. Boddie previously worked in a community mental health setting focusing on adolescents living with trauma issues, preceded by adults and adolescents living with substance use and mental illness. Throughout his career Mr. Boddie has served as a volunteer with local AIDS Service Organizations in both Montgomery, AL and Lexington, KY. He briefly worked with the Lexington Fayette County Health Department providing pre- and post-test HIV counseling. Mr. Boddie’s current practice is with adults living with trauma-related issues as well as LBGTQ+ issues. He is trained as a cognitive-behavioral therapist and frequently uses Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) as well as Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as treatment interventions.
Mr. Boddie’s research interests include trauma, LBGTQ+ needs, and HIV prevention particularly with African American gay and bisexual men. His capstone project specifically examines how trauma contributes to the widening disparity of HIV infection between Black and white gay and bisexual men and how trauma-informed care may help to alleviate this disparity. Mr. Boddie is currently a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Black Social Workers, and the Kentucky Society for Clinical Social Work.