Dr. Anne Waters Devoted to Her Students: Teaching, Learning, and Celebrating Success

In the mid-1980s, Anne Waters caught wind of an innovative PsyD program in the greater Boston area whose clinical focus and intimate community were considered pioneering at the time. “I was attracted to just how radical [the College] seemed; it felt like an experiment, and I was on an adventure,” says Waters of engaging in clinical experience from day one—rather than focusing primarily on research—which was a novel idea at the time.

After earning her PsyD in Clinical Psychology in 1987 and working in various roles (including Director of Training at Faulkner Hospital, the site of her fourth-year field placement), Waters found her way back to William James College in 2002. “It felt like a return home,” she says of evolving relationships with former professors turned colleagues.

Over four decades spent in the field as a psychoanalyst and a psychologist, Water’s love of psychology has endured. “The body of knowledge is endless and keeps on expanding,” she says, pointing to decreased stigma surrounding mental health, increased opportunity for specialization, and a commitment to caring for underserved populations.

Over the course of her tenure, Waters has remained devoted to her students—teaching them, but more importantly, learning from them and celebrating their success. “Staying connected to the upcoming generation, whether learning about new theories and techniques or working to inspire them as my teachers inspired me, is my way of giving back,” says Waters.

“If one is living a good life, it’s all about generativity; I want to pass the baton and instill in the next generation the same passion, excitement and love for this field that I have had for so many years.”

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