To foster the implementation of integrated approaches for New York State residents with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse conditions.

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With its emphasis on the implementation and integration of interventions for co-occurring conditions, CEIC has selected staff members for their backgrounds in translating research to practice, technical assistance, training, systems change, peer development, substance abuse and mental health clinical practice, and leadership. The CEIC team is comprised of full- and part-time staff whose time is primarily devoted to hands-on work, assisting providers to increase their “co-occurring capability” or, in other words, their ability to help New York State residents who have both mental health and substance use problems.

STANLEY SACKS, PHD

Director of CEIC and Director of CIRP (Center for the Integration of Research & Practice) At NDRI (National Development And Research Institute) in New York City

Dr. Stanley Sacks, a clinical-research psychologist, is the Director of the Center for the Integration of Research & Practice (CIRP) at National Development and Research Institutes (NDRI) in New York City. He and his staff specialize in conducting treatment research and in using science to advance clinical services. With 20 years experience in the field of co-occurring disorders, encompassing clinical practice, program design and operation, training of staff and programs, Dr. Sacks has conducted 10 federally-funded treatment-related research studies, involving co-occurring disorders populations of homeless individuals, women, criminal justice offenders, and HIV infected persons. In this work, Dr. Sacks and the investigative team have conducted rigorous studies on the effectiveness of the modified therapeutic community (TC) for these co-occurring disorder populations, an approach that is now listed in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs & Practices. He is currently Principal Investigator of the NIDA-funded Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies, a multi-site cooperative agreement evaluating the implementation of evidence-based practices in criminal justice settings. Author of numerous publications, Dr. Sacks was the chair and lead writer for TIP 42, Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons with Co-Occurring Disorders, a comprehensive compendium of substance abuse and mental health treatment and research information for persons with COD. He was the Expert Leader for the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration’s Co-Occurring Center for Excellence (COCE), and developed a longitudinal approach to technical assistance that was used to assist 38 States to improve the integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders available in each State. Dr. Sacks and his team established a learning community, which allowed States to share their individual accomplishments and to benefit from the knowledge of national experts who presented material in key areas of co-occurring disorders treatment.

Dr. Sacks leads the efforts of the New York State Health Foundation’s CEIC (Center for Excellence in Integrated Care), and is at the forefront of all activities directly related to the improvement of integration of substance use and mental health services in outpatient addiction and mental health clinics, guiding strategic planning, and coordinating with multiple partners and affiliates in a network of invested constituents, all seeking to better the lives of residents statewide. Dr. Sacks’ expertise in co-occurring disorders, his work in New York State and across the nation, and his extensive research experience, combined with his administrative and managerial skills, and his collegial / collaborative style, have prepared him to lead the CEIC initiative. He is ideally suited to coordinate the efforts of the constituent consumers, provider agencies, and State representatives to increase the capacity of the service delivery system to offer integrated services to persons with co-occurring conditions in outpatient clinics; thereby improving the health of this segment of the New York State citizenry.

Joann Y. Sacks, PHD

CEIC Assistant Director, Executive Director of NDRI

Dr. J. Sacks, the Executive Director of NDRI, has a rich and varied portfolio of executive, administrative, clinical, and programmatic and research experience and expertise. She has been involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of treatment models for special populations (co-occurring disorders and women) for the past 20 years. She was responsible for the development and operation of a continuum of residential and outpatient treatment programs for homeless men and women with co-occurring disorders in New York City. An expert in training and technical assistance, Dr. Sacks has provided training for State corrections systems and community agencies in developing and refining criminal justice, residential, and outpatient treatment programs for specialized populations, including addicted women (and their children), co-occurring disorders adults (sometimes described as having mental illness and chemical abuse disorders, or MICA), and HIV+/co-occurring disorders individuals. Her work in CIRP has been focused on the use of research data to improve treatment practices within community agencies as well as State treatment systems, and the use of treatment outcome and cost information to inform policy and planning on a national and state level. Dr. Sacks was Principal Investigator of NIDA-funded research into the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of prison-based treatment programs for substance abusing women in Colorado, and is a Co-Investigator on the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies project, evaluating treatment approaches in the criminal justice system. She has been Co-Investigator / Evaluator for several Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration-funded projects evaluating outpatient and residential treatment programming for men and women with co-occurring disorders, and for women and their children. For the past 5 years, Dr. Sacks has provided oversight, planning and implementation of technical assistance and training for all States in her integral role with the COCE team; she has a similar role in CEIC, providing training and technical assistance, and assisting with strategic planning and collaboration with a network of partners, affiliates, government officials, and consumers.

John Challis, BA, BSW, DIPTEACH

CEIC Director of Technical Assistance; Project Director, CIRP, NDRI

John Challis joined the staff of NDRI’s CIRP as a Project Director to be the Training and Technical Assistance specialist for Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration’s Co-Occurring Center for Excellence (COCE). In this role, he provided technical assistance nationwide to States in the Co-Occurring State Initiative Grant (COSIG) and Policy Academy initiatives, as well as to any other State requesting assistance from COCE in the area of co-occurring disorders. Before moving to the U.S., he worked in both New Zealand and Australia where he garnered over 22 years experience in the Substance Abuse Treatment Sector and, for over 17 years, developed and led co-occurring treatment programs for adults, adolescents and parents with children in residential and intensive outpatient settings. His areas of expertise include: the treatment of serious mental illness in substance abuse treatment settings, workforce/talent development, clinical supervision, systemic development, executive management and strategic planning, and the therapeutic community treatment model. He has chaired a variety of national boards, including the inaugural sitting of the New Zealand Accreditation Board for Alcohol and Drug Services, and has been a presenter at National and International conferences. John gained a wealth of distinctive experience in his work for COCE. He was instrumental in the development of peer-to-peer support (including the Learning Community), and in establishing a unified longitudinal approach to technical assistance. His expertise will be applied in all aspects of CEIC, particularly in facilitating the key implementation approaches of Implementation Academies, Learning Communities, and the provision of Longitudinal Technical Assistance. John was a key member of the project team from CEIC’s inception until well into its third year. He left CEIC in early March 2011 to assume responsibilities as Executive Director/CEO of Daytop in New York City, where he continues to work in addiction and co-occurring disorders, and to collaborate with CEIC in advancing the integration of services at Daytop.

Shelley Scheffler, PHD, LCSW

CEIC Integrated Care Specialist

Shelly Scheffler, the newest CEIC staff member, incorporates her multiple skills in strategic planning, program design, evaluation and implementation, workforce development, and training in delivering training and technical assistance to New York State providers of outpatient substance abuse and mental health services. Dr. Scheffler has acquired a rich and diverse range of expertise in the fields of mental health and substance abuse treatment. Prior to joining CEIC in March 2010, she was a member of the New Jersey Co-Occurring Task Force, the Middlesex County Co-Occurring Committee and the National Policy Academy on Improving Services for Youth with Mental Health and Co-Occurring Disorders Committee. She organized a countywide committee to coordinate services to promote jail diversion for individuals with severe mental illness using the Sequential Intercept Model, and administered a modified therapeutic community in the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center. Her success in writing grant proposals enabled the expansion of intensive case management and family support services for persons with severe mental problems who were living in the community. She was also responsible for developing specialized substance abuse services for individuals with developmental delays, cognitive deficits and fetal alcohol syndrome. As Director of Social Services, Dr. Scheffler created and initiated a family program within a modified therapeutic community serving persons with AIDS. She designed a program for homeless women with psychiatric disorders that she then implemented in a NYC shelter. A dynamic trainer, Dr. Scheffler has developed curriculum and workshops on substance abuse, mental health and co-occurring disorders for the Homeless Project of the Hunter-Brookdale Center on Aging, taught at the NYU Silver School of Social Work, and authored “Substance Abuse and Homelessness” in Clinical Work With Substance Abusing Clients. As an outgrowth of her commitment to promoting outstanding clinical care, Shelley initiated a citywide forum for substance abuse treatment counselors that hosted a major conference annually.

Michael Chaple, MA

CEIC Evaluator; Project Director, CIRP, NDRI

Michael J. Chaple, a Project Director in NDRI’s CIRP, joins CEIC as an Evaluator; he has worked in these capacities for the past 10 years, contributing his wide range of skills to a number of federally-funded studies. His activities with CEIC consist of working with Mr. Challis to provide training and technical assistance to providers throughout New York State. He has primary responsibility for coordinating technical assistance activities (scheduling Forums, on-site co-occurring capability assessments, and other individual technical assistance requests), and for conducting a range of technical assistance activities and assessments, some of which are centered on the Dual Disorder Capability in Addiction [Mental Health] Treatment (DDCA[MH]T) surveys. As CEIC Evaluator, Mr. Chaple is responsible for a variety of research analyses and reporting activities, including data collection, database construction, statistical analyses and interpretation, which together are used to define the co-occurring capability (and changes in capability over time) of New York State’s mental health and substance abuse outpatient programs. In addition to his activities with CEIC, Mr. Chaple is currently working on two other projects; he is managing the activities of a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Therapeutic Communities: A Three Country Comparison,” which is a study of therapeutic community (TC) treatment in three countries – the United States, China and Malaysia – to determine the extent to which established TC practices are incorporated into each program, and to identify any unique cultural characteristics present. Mr. Chaple is the Data Manager for a second NIDA-funded study, “Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies 2,” which examines processes leading to organizational change that are involved in the successful integration of high-quality drug abuse treatment services in criminal justice settings. Mr. Chaple is currently writing his dissertation to obtain his Ph.D. in criminal justice from Rutgers University. He also teaches research methods, statistics, and program evaluation in the Master’s program in Criminal Justice at St. John’s University.

Paul Warren, LSMW

CEIC Training & Technical Assistance Specialist; Program Manager, Training Institute, NDRI

Paul Warren, a Program Manager for NDRI’s Training Institute, has joined the CEIC as a Training & Technical Assistance Specialist, bringing over 18 years’ experience in curriculum development/writing, program development/management, education, and training facilitation. Besides conducting training and technical assistance activities across New York State for CEIC, Mr. Warren is developing curricula and managing contract technical assistance interventions for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LBGT) Health Aware Project. As part of the Access (AIDS) Clinical Trials Project, he advised the enhancement of an existing educational curriculum and facilitated psycho-educational trainings directed towards women and people of color. Mr. Warren developed and managed another Training Institute project, the Technical Assistance Program (TAP), which partnered with selected agencies to develop curriculum and deliver trainings to build staff and organizational capacities to create and enhance services provided to people living with HIV and AIDS. Mr. Warren has written curricula on Stress Management and Vicarious Trauma (1 day and ½ day versions), Team Building, Working with LGBT Clients – Tools for Effective and Sensitive Care, Working with LGBT Clients in Treatment and Recovery, and Homophobia – Reducing the Harm and Risk. He has reviewed and tailored a wide range of existing curricula to meet specific needs of technical assistance recipients and provides training consultation for HIV/AIDS, HIV Treatment Adherence, HIV Disclosure, Counseling Skills, Group Work, Team Building, and LGBT Sensitivity. He has worked with a number of agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, Iris House, Asian Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Narcotics Rehabilitation Center, Chinese American Planning Council, and Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Mr. Warren served for four years on the New York City HIV Prevention Planning Group as a community representative. He has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work and a Bachelor’s degree from New York University.

Ashley Arner, MSW

CEIC Clinical Assessor; Research Associate, CIRP, NDRI

Ashley Arner joined the CEIC team in May, 2011, bringing her social work and substance abuse experience to her role as a Clinical Assessor. Ashley’s primary responsibilities include on-site assessments and follow-up evaluations to determine CEIC’s success at advancing co-occurring capabilities across the state. Ms. Arner studied psychology as an undergraduate student and received her Masters in Social Work from New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, specializing in clinical work with substance abusers. Ashley has worked in various capacities within the not-for-profit sector, including direct practice in an outpatient substance abuse treatment setting and case management with adults. She is pursuing her LMSW and CASAC accreditations.

Skultip (Jill) Sirikantraporn, PSYD

CEIC Clinical Assessor; Postdoctoral Fellow, BST & CIRP, NDR, NDRI

Jill Sirikantraporn received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Seattle in June of 2010. Jill’s concentrations and research interests are in the resilience factors among vulnerable populations. She has a special interest in how various vulnerable populations acquire and/or strengthen their personal and environmental assets to thrive and fight against the adverse impact of life stressors, such as witnessing domestic violence, perceived discrimination, long-term drug use, homelessness, and mental illness. She wrote a recent article, based on her dissertation, centered on the relationship between acculturation and resilience levels among Southeast Asian youths who have witnessed domestic violence. Jill joined the CEIC project team late in May 2011 to work with Dr. Stan Sacks and Michael Chaple (Co-PIs) in assessing the impact of this technical assistance project. The New York State Health Foundation funded CEIC to improve the integration of mental health and substance use services for persons with co-occurring disorders who are living in New York State. In her role as a clinical assessor, Jill conducts site visits where she uses the Dual Diagnosis Capability in Addiction [Mental Health] Treatment (DDCA[MH]T) indices to assess the degree to which services have been integrated (i.e., the co-occurring capability of the program) and to recommend ways in which the program can improve its co-occurring capability. Dr. Sirikantraporn joined NDRI’s BST Fellowship Program (Behavioral Science Training in Drug Abuse Research) soon after receiving her PSYD. In her role as a postdoctoral fellow, Jill contributes to two additional research projects. She is a quantitative data analyst for the NIH-funded Stay Safe project (Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, PI), a study designed to teach long-term injecting drug users strategies and skills to help themselves and others remain free of HIV/HCV infections. She has submitted a paper on resilience-based factors that are associated with safe practices and a decrease in risky behaviors. In a second NIH-funded study, the Power Source Project (Noelle Leonard, PI), she employs both her clinical experience and research skills in her work for this innovative intervention efficacy project designed to reduce high-risk behaviors (such as substance use and violent behaviors) among youth offenders. The intervention uses mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral elements to improve emotional regulatory skills and behavioral changes among incarcerated youths; Jill is developing a paper using study data related to neurocognitive factors as treatment attrition predictors.