New Year, New Leadership: Celebrating the Re-Launch of the ADEPT Center

Working in the field of substance use treatment has long been a passion for John Meigs, PsyD, LADC. More than a dozen years ago, he commenced training at the UMass Boston Addictions Counselor Education Program after a stint working in an opiate use facility near his hometown of Hingham sparked Meigs’ interest in becoming a drug and alcohol counselor. His work with diverse clients experiencing a range of substance use disorders—coupled with trauma, anxiety and depression—led him to a staggering realization: “I just didn’t know enough, so I turned to William James College in order to fill out the gaps in my knowledge,” says Meigs, a graduate of both the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and Global Mental Health and PsyD in Clinical Psychology. Late last year, Meigs was tapped to lead the Alcohol and Drug Education in Psychology Training (ADEPT) Center which is being relaunched in 2025 as part of a college-wide focus on substance use. 

“While we’ve always taught substance use treatment, re-launching the ADEPT Center is our way of bringing this timely topic to the forefront, across all disciplines, at William James College,” says Meigs who has served as Director, Substance Use and Addictions Area of Emphasis and Assistant Professor, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Department since 2019. Going forward, reaching the broader community—from MetroWest to Boston proper—and engaging folks around substance use treatment remains top of mind for Meigs. His goal? To create more programming and to provide more continuing education around substance use disorder.

“Despite a wealth of qualified clinicians already doing good work, the need for training around effective treatment of substance use and co-occurring mental disorders remains ongoing,” says Meigs, pointing to the ADEPT Center’s aim: to work collaboratively with treatment providers, educational partners, and other leaders to increase not only the number—but also the capacity—of substance use disorder professionals. 

Driven by the knowledge that individuals who struggle with co-occurring mental health disorders and substance use disorders are the norm, not the exception, Meigs is committed to broadening the community’s understanding of what it means to be a skilled, effective counselor. His plans for the ADEPT Center include hosting workshops around topics related to substance use treatment and envisioning a conference—perhaps come fall—aimed at complementing the College’s ongoing commitment to experiential learning. 

   “We are currently working towards a training grant that would fund practicum students in the Clinical Psychology PsyD program to work in settings with a proven need for providers trained in substance use treatment,” says Meigs, acknowledging this would not be the first of its kind. In 2019, the College was awarded two grants from the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration, including the Opioid Workforce Expansion Program, focused on expanding and diversifying the behavioral health workforce to meet the growing and critical need for qualified mental health professionals in the Commonwealth.

As the national opioid crisis swells, drug overdose has risen to the leading cause of accidental death. In Massachusetts, substance use disorder is on the rise; in turn, developing a workforce capable of addressing the growing problem of SUD is more important than ever. Housed within the Center for Workforce Development, the ADEPT Center boasts myriad avenues for entering the College and receiving training. 

“Most people who experience a problem with alcohol or drugs have a co-occurring mental health problem,” says President Nicholas A. Covino, PsyD, who underscores a sobering truth: “Unfortunately, most addictions and mental health specialists are rarely trained appropriately in both areas. The ADEPT Center at William James College enables emerging professions to be cross-trained to deliver a higher quality of care to this growing population of individuals and their families.” 

Recently approved by the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) as an accredited education provider, William James College is one of the only schools in Massachusetts to require coursework in substance use disorder for students training at all levels. A Substance Use and Addictions Area of Emphasis, available in both the Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and BS in Psychology and Human Services programs, provides a focused course of study in substance use treatment which allows students to earn credits toward licensure as an alcohol and drug counselor in the state of Massachusetts (LADC) or nationally as a certified alcohol and drug counselor (CADC). 

“Learning how to provide effective treatment is a really good opportunity for people who have personal experience [with substance use],” says Meigs, underscoring another positive outcome of this work. An ardent interest in global mental health—coupled with clinical experience at (among others) Lynn Community Health Center Refugee Clinic, the Metro Boston Mental Health Units at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, and the White River Junction VA Medical Center/National Center for PTSD—means Meigs is well-versed in the far-reaching effects of substance use which has been part of the human experience forever and cuts across all cultures, classes, and demographics.

“For clinicians, the biggest challenge remains how to treat the person in front of us— while taking into account their background and what's going on not only psychologically but also physiologically,” says Meigs, emphasizing that the impact of substance use on brain chemistry means people are shaped, behaviorally by their history of use. 

Bottom line? “Most of the patients that clinicians will work with [going forward] have some history of substance use—whether directly or indirectly via a family member—which is why we have to be good at screening, assessing, and treating it in a way that works for people,” says Meigs who, going forward, is committed to making William James College a resource around substance use treatment and the interconnected elements that entails.

“We have a responsibility to our student body—and the community at large—to keep substance use at the forefront of our work, and relaunching the ADEPT Center is going to facilitate this obligation.”  

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