Katherine Marshall Woods

Katherine Marshall Woods (born in 1976) known professionally as Dr. Marshall Woods is an American media psychologist, television host, producer and author, best known for hosting the 2024 Telly Award winning television show Best Psychology in Film. . She holds a doctorate degree in professional psychology, continues to practice as a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice and is the Director of Graduate Studies in the Professional Psychology at The George Washington University.
Marshall Woods rose to public recognition with hosting UDCtv’s A Healthy Mind in 2019. She became a co-producer upon the television show bringing experts from a myriad of fields (i.e Lindsay Sutherland Boal/Canada Covid Chronicles) to educate the public regarding the impact their work has on healthy mental health and living. Within the Covid-19 pandemic, Marshall Woods began to independently produce the show, Best Psychology in Film, eponymous to her first publication, to highlight filmmakers and their work while sharing the psychological elements that make their art meaningful. After season one, The University of the District of Columbia joined the production team filming 30 episodes. The show is currently in Season 5 after completing 40 episodes.
==Early life and education==
Marshall Woods engaged in numerous artistic endeavors in her childhood including theater, vocals and orchestra. By high school, she studied voice at The Greater Hartford Academy of the Performing Arts (Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts). Concurrently, she was employed at Aetna Insurance Company within the visual communication department learning the technical aspects of media and laying the path of her media psychological career. 
Marshall Woods pursued her undergraduate degree at The George Washington University earning a BA in psychology and continuing her education at the same university obtaining a doctorate in psychology. 
==Early Career==
The first decade of Marshall Woods career was dedicated service to children, adolescents and families. Marshall Woods' expertise was utilized on various media outlets such as WAMU, WHUR-FM, Heart and Soul Magazine, Washington Post, Circa News, Condé Nast-SELF Magazine, Talk of the Nation (NPR) and HuffPost Live as an expert psychologist.
==Television Career==
Dr. Marshall Woods has lent expertise to media outlets throughout her career. She has been featured on News Channel 8’s (Washington,DC) Let’s Talk Live, In Transition with Libra Johnson, The Talk Lounge, Circa News and interviewed numerous times with Presstv speaking regarding mental health care and healthy living. After the interview on the UDCtv show A Healthy Mind, Marshall Woods became the host and a producer on the show. Marshall Woods hosted 37 episodes before shifting focus in 2020 during the pandemic. Within that time she began interviewing filmmakers regarding their latest films and holding conversation regarding the influence psychology had in their art. Best Psychology in Film was born, where Marshall Woods serves as host and producer.
==Approach to Psychology==
Dr. Marshall Woods primarily practices from a psychodynamic theoretical perspective integrating trauma theories into her delivered service. Marshall Woods’ approach to consultation with screenwriters and filmmakers at various stages of development invite conversations to consider the nuances of characters’ psychology to enrich the themes and set development of the production. Marshall Woods has provided support upon sets for cast in crew to support mental health and morale during emotionally challenging scenes. She has contributed as a producer on the films Daddy’s Home (2020) and The Pushover (2024) 
==Writing Career==
“Ask Dr. Marshall Woods” column began Marshall Woods’ writing career distributed with EmPower Magazine answering questions posed by readers regarding relationships, coping strategies, grief etc. Marshall Woods continued writing marrying psychology and cinema with American Psychological Association’s former journal PsycCRITIQUES in 2016 highlighting psychological concepts and diagnoses found within cinematic works.Thereafter, she began to contribute to Huffington Post creating blogs that explored the psychological dynamics located within specific films. She continued contributions with both Medium and Thrive Global and published her first book in 2018, Best Psychology in Film. Marshall Woods published the article “What Is My Part” in Studies in Gender and Sexuality noting her commitment to practicing in media psychology as an area of specialty while sharing what the path has been like as an African American woman in the field of psychology. In 2024 Marshall Woods was invited to share her expertise in psychology and film with other media psychology experts in the Handbook of Media Psychology. Her 2025 publication, Black Film Through A Psychodynamic Lens explores the influence of Black film to American culture and beyond. Marshall Woods has co-authored numerous articles on various aspects of psychology pertaining to psychological assessment, clinical supervision and students’ academic success and has been quoted in countless articles that share psychology with the public.
==Filmography==
* Best Psychology in Film (2020-). Host, Producer
* The Pushover (2024). Producer
* Left Fingers (2023). Psychological Consultant
* Daddy’s Home (2020). Producer
* A Healthy Mind (2019-current). Host, Producer 
==Publications==
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* Marshall Woods, K. (2018). Best Psychology in Film. Upper Marlboro, MD
Category:Media Psychology
Category:Clinical Psychology
Category:Psychology
Category:Media Expert
Category:Author
Category:Television Host
[|Category:Born in 1976]]
Category:Living Person
Category:George Washington University
Category:African-American Psychologists
Category:Polymath