Substance Use: Developing Community Resources and Strategies

Featuring Dr. Jeff Foote, Kamal Johnson and Dr. Carrie Wilkens

Carrie Wilkens, Ph.D. is the Co-Executive Director and President of CMC: Foundation for Change. She is also Co-Founder and Clinical Director of the Center for Motivation and Change in NYC and in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, a private group practice of psychologists specializing in the treatment of substance use disorders and other compulsive behaviors using only evidence-based therapies. She co-authored an award-winning book, Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change, a guide for families navigating issues of substance use disorders, as well as a user-friendly workbook for parents: The 20 Minute Guide: A Guide for Parents about How to Help their Child Change their Substance Use. Dr. Wilkens was the Project Director on a large federally-funded Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant examining the effectiveness of motivational interventions in addressing the problems associated with binge drinking among college students. She is regularly sought out by the media to discuss issues related to substance use disorders and has been on the CBS Morning Show, Katie Couric Show, and Fox News, as well as a variety of radio shows including frequent NPR segments such as the People’s Pharmacy and The Diane Rehm Show. Dr. Wilkens sits on the Advisory Council for the Peter G. Dodge Foundation, a forward-thinking nonprofit organization that works with world-class partners to achieve lasting change in the field of alcohol use disorders.

Jeff Foote, Ph.D. is Co-Founder of the Center for Motivation and Change (CMC) in Manhattan, as well as CMC: Berkshires. Additionally, Dr. Foote co-founded the CMC: Foundation For Change, dedicated to providing families and clinicians materials and training in evidence-based change strategies and understandings of substance use disorders. Dr. Foote is a nationally recognized clinical research scientist who has received federal grant funding for his work on motivational treatment approaches and substance abuse treatment research, focused on the implementation of evidence-based treatments. Dr. Foote was also Psychologist for the NY Mets for 11 years, and continues in sports psychology as an independent performance consultant to professional athletes. Before co-founding CMC in 2003, Dr. Foote was the Deputy Director of the Division of Alcohol Treatment and Research at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in NYC, as well as Senior Research Associate at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) in NYC. Dr. Foote also served as Chief of the Smithers Addiction Treatment and Research Center, as well as Director of Evaluation and Research between 1994 and 2001. He is co-author of the award-winning book Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change, a practical guide for families dealing with addiction and substance problems in a loved one, based on principles of Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT). He is also a contributor to two workbooks combining strategies from CRAFT and Motivational Interviewing: The Parent’s 20 Minute Guide and The Partner’s 20 Minute Guide, which offer specific tools and practice in evidence-based strategies for helping a loved one change.

Kamal Johnson is currently the 1st Ward Alderman on the Hudson Common Council as well the Democratic Mayoral Candidate. He is the chair of the Police Committee and the Youth, Education, Seniors & Recreation Committee. As chair, he has successfully facilitated difficult community conversations and pushed for better and more effective services for Hudson residents. Currently Johnson works as the Co-Director of the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood, a non-profit organization that supports children growing up in the Hudson City School District. Additionally he is the Coordinator of POPS, a community fatherhood initiative.

Johnson grew up in Hudson and graduated from Columbia Greene Community College in 2005, and from SUNY New Paltz in 2007, with degrees in History and Early Childhood Education.