Directors

Jeffrey Foote, PhDCo-founder and Executive Director

Jeff Foote, PhD, is Co-Founder of the Center for Motivation and Change (CMC) in Manhattan, as well as CMC:Berkshires. 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.

Carrie Wilkens, PhDCo-founder and Clinical Director

Carrie Wilkens, PhD, is the Co-Founder and Clinical Director of the Center for Motivation and Change in NYC and in the Berkshires. She co-authored an award-winning book, Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change with Drs. Foote and Kosanke. Together they also contributed to a user-friendly workbook for parents: The 20 Minute Guide: A Guide for Parents about How to Help their Child Change their Substance Use. In collaboration with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, Dr. Wilkens and the CMC team is developing a national parent training program (the Parent Support Network) to provide parent coaches to families in need of support through a free hotline. Prior to these ventures, 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.

Nicole Kosanke, PhDDirector of Family Services

Nicole Kosanke, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist and Director of Family Services at the Center for Motivation and Change’s outpatient division in NYC, where she specializes in working with family members of people abusing substances and in the assessment process for families and individuals. Dr Kosanke has been working in the research and clinical practice of treating substance use disorders for many years and utilizes the principles of CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training), MI (Motivational Interviewing), and CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) in different therapeutic modalities and resources: group, individual, family, video training, and written materials. She recently co-authored the award-winning book, Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change, which is a compassionate and science-based family guide for navigating the addiction treatment world, understanding motivation, and using CRAFT skills. She also contributed to The 20 Minute Guide: A Guide for Parents about How to Help their Child Change their Substance Use. She has been interviewed on radio programs about substance abuse issues and her writing on these topics has also been featured most recently in Huffington Post, The Observer, and Counselor Magazine.

Cindy Brody, PhDDirector of Intensive Services

Dr. Brody is a psychologist who has worked extensively with adolescents, adults, and families. Previously, she was the Coordinator of Education and Training at the Comprehensive Addictions Program for Adolescents (CAPA) of the Smithers Addiction Treatment and Research Center, where she specialized in motivational approaches and group psychotherapy. Most recently, she was the Coordinator of Outreach and Prevention at the Fordham University Counseling Services, where she worked individually with young adults struggling with substance use, eating disorders, depression, and trauma, while also developing motivationally-based outreach initiatives on campus.

Kathy Pruzan, PsyDDirector of Evaluation Services

Dr. Kathy Pruzan has been intimately involved in managing and developing the evaluation process at CMC. Her clinical work focuses on seeing clients for initial consultations, working with individuals using CBT techniques, and seeing family members using the CRAFT approach. Her background is in the treatment of individuals who have difficulties with anxiety, mood disorders, and acting out behaviors. She has previous experience utilizing DBT at Bellevue Hospital, as well as working with adolescents in residential and day treatment. Dr. Pruzan has experience working with people on the Autistic Spectrum who have co-occurring substance abuse disorders. She also has an interest in sport psychology, and has worked with athletes at all levels on issues related to performance, anxiety, and substance abuse. Dr. Pruzan also coordinates graduate internships at CMC.

Kenneth Carpenter, PhDDirector of Training

Dr. Carpenter is a clinical research scientist and clinician who has received federal and private foundation grant money for investigating the psychological, behavioral, and neurobiological factors associated with addictive behaviors and their treatment. Dr. Carpenter has over 15 years of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based motivational and cognitive-behavioral strategies for facilitating important lifestyle changes. He holds an academic appointment in Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry and is a Research Scientist in the Division on Substance Abuse and the Substance Treatment and Research Services (S.T.A.R.S.) at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Josh King, PsyDDirector of Clinical and Digital Service Integration

Dr. King is a psychologist who has specialized training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness based therapies, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI). He is a founding member of the Society for Behavioral Sleep Medicine. He has worked at Bellevue Hospital with patients in acute crisis and with Borderline Personality Disorder. Prior to joining the Center, Dr. King worked as a therapist for college students at the Baruch College Counseling Center and as an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University. In his position as Director of Clinical and Digital Service Integration, Dr. King oversees CMC’s social media presence and website, and is working to develop ways to expand CMC’s digital services with the specific goal of increasing access to CMC’s services to all people.

Jami Wolf, PsyDDirector of Co-Occurring Disorder Services

Dr. Wolf is a supervising psychologist and the Director of Co-Occurring Disorders Services at CMC. Dr. Wolf specializes in the evaluation and treatment of PTSD, trauma, and co-occurring disorders. Dr. Wolf in certified in (PE) Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD and trained in Complicated Grief Treatment. At CMC, Dr. Wolf heads the trauma treatment program which focuses on utilizing evidence based treatments, PE and STAIR (Prolonged Exposure, and Skills Training in Affect and Interpersonal Regulation), to work with PTSD and other trauma related disorders. In clinical practice, Dr. Wolf works with both individuals and family members, and leads a mixed gender process group. Dr. Wolf utilizes a CRAFT informed approach with family members. She also incorporates DBT and mindfulness-based interventions and a focus on wellness in her approach to treating individuals with addictive and psychiatric disorders. Dr. Wolf has extensive experience working in the inpatient milieu and outpatient services, providing cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamically informed psychotherapy to individuals and groups across the lifespan. She also has specialized training and experience helping individuals who struggle with severe and persistent mental illness, mood disorders, self-harming and suicidal behaviors, life crises, and personality disorders. Dr. Wolf is New York State Psychological Association’s (NYSPA) Division on Addictions President- Elect 2017.

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