Nathan L. Smith

About Nathan L. Smith

Hello!Nathan L. Smith, Ph.D, LCSW, LADC (he/him/his) is a Postdoctoral Psychology Fellow at Yale University School of Medicine, where he provides clinical care across young adult services, child and adolescent services, and the Substance Use and Addiction Treatment Unit. He also serves as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Black and Brown Collective Mentorship and Training Program, and is a LEAD Fellow with Division 12 of the American Psychological Association.Nathan earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University, his M.S.W. from Fordham University, a post-graduate certificate in Addiction Counseling, a B.A. in Social Science from Albertus Magnus College, and an A.S. in General Studies from Gateway Community College.He is a licensed clinical social worker and alcohol and drug counselor. He has held leadership positions, including Senior Clinical Director for Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, funded transitional programs in New Haven. As a Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital clinician, he gained experience across psychiatric emergency and inpatient settings with adolescents, young adults, and adults. He has also taught as associate faculty in psychology and human services.Clinically, Nathan draws from a multiculturally informed psychodynamic and existential orientation, integrating relational-cultural theory and therapy to address racial trauma, chronic disconnection, and psychosocial stressors. His practice emphasizes growth-fostering relationships, resilience, and the lived realities of Black boys and men exposed to violence and systemic inequities.As a qualitative researcher, Nathan focuses on social justice, racial trauma, and health disparities affecting marginalized populations. His dissertation, “Let a Brother Be Heard, Fam”, explored the lived experiences of Black men aged 18–34 exposed to community violence, with attention to how masculinity functions as both a complicating and protective factor. His broader research interests include racial trauma, male sexual violence victimization, and substance use disorders in the Black community. He continues to publish and present on topics at the intersection of Black psychology, trauma, masculinity, and community violence.

Experience

1. Associate Faculty

   Fielding Graduate University

   Aug 2025 — Present

Education

• Albertus Magnus College

  Addiction Counseling Certificate Program, Alcohol and Drug Addiction

  2018 — 2019

• Fielding Graduate University

  Master of Arts, Psychology with an emphasis in Clinical Psychology

• Hill Regional Career Highschool

  Business/Commerce, General

  2004 — 2008

• Albertus Magnus College

  Bachelor of Arts , Sociology and Psychology

  2012 — 2014

• Southern Connecticut State University

  Seminar in Field Instruction (SIFI)

  2019 — 2020

• Fielding Graduate University

  Doctor of Philosophy, Clinical Psychology

  2020

• Fordham University

  Master of Social Work, Clinical Concentration

  2015 — 2018

• Gateway Community & Technical College

  Associate of Science , General Studies

  2010 — 2012