Tim Davidson, Ph.D.
Email: timdavidson@ou.edu
Dr. Davidson received his doctorate in 1982 from the University of
Edinburgh, Scotland where he pursued interdisciplinary studies in philosophy,
psychology and theology. His studies focused on existentialism, phenomenology
and psychoanalysis and resulted in an original thesis on a humane and
clinically useful conceptual approach to the experience of people suffering
form schizophrenia. Prior to teaching at the University
of Oklahoma, he worked for
approximately 20 years in the mental health field as a licensed professional
counselor and marriage and family therapist, as a public administrator, and as
the president and chief executive officer of his own private corporation for
counseling services. His clinical work included public and private practice,
serving as a county director in New York
and Texas and building a
successful multi-site outpatient and inpatient practice in the Dallas
metroplex in the 1980s and early 1990s. His psychotherapy practice featured
extensive program development in hospitals and clinics, as well as direct
service with individuals, groups, couples and families. His clinical work
included treatment for debilitating psychological and biological illnesses,
such as major depression, various anxiety illnesses, post traumatic stress,
personality disorders, substance abuse, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia and
other psychoses, as well as general counseling for family conflicts and
personal adjustment disorders.
Dr. Davidson joined the faculty at the University
of Oklahoma in 1997 and is now a
tenured faculty member, teaching primarily on the Norman campus, but also
traveling regularly to teach in Tulsa
and in Europe and Asia for
Advanced Programs. His research interests are typically cross-disciplinary, in
keeping with a key tenet of Human Relations studies. His writings in the 1990s,
challenging the workings of managed care systems on ethical, clinical and
fiscal levels, were influential in forming the debate on topics like client
confidentiality in the social work literature. Recently, he has been focused on
various issues related to race relations in the United
States, evaluating aspects of this topic in
the context of families, education processes and the society at large. Most of
his writings reflect his background in philosophical and clinical studies.
Frequently taught courses for the Department of Human Relations are:
Theoretical Foundations in Human Relations
Clinical Dependency
Assessment and Evaluation in Human Relations
Counseling Skills in Human Relations
Counseling Approaches in Human Relations