Since 1977 I've been helping people just like you improve the quality of their lives by helping them establish a recovery from addiction or psychological issues. My work began in a traditional Therapeutic Community (TC) working with Alcoholics and Drug Addicts. It was a long term program which treated people in a three phase format over a period of 12-24 months. One highlight of my work there was to assist those incarcerated for alcohol or drug offenses to be paroled to our program for treatment. I also created, developed, and designed one of the first adolescent A/D treatment programs and helped facilitate its implementation. After leaving this treatment provider I was in business for several years while I completed further training and education. (All the while I was in business I worked part-time in a college counseling center at Rutgers University). I returned to the field full-time by working in one of our State Mental Hospitals (Trenton Psychiatric Hospital) in their Transitional Services until taking a position in the state's Child Protection Services (DYFS). I was a field caseworker assisting families experiencing issues of child abuse and neglect. Given my previous experience I was often assigned cases involving alcohol, drugs, and addiction. The work was very difficult as you might expect (often involving unspeakable horrors perpetrated on children), but the work was also immensely rewarding. The professionals I was able to work with were some of the best and most dedicated I've met. Many lives were saved and protected through our efforts. My next position was with a new Family Crisis Unit (FCIU-Somerset County) which was one of the first of its kind. It was attached to the Family Court and was intended to assist in dealing with families whose crisis in the past would have brought them to court. As a therapist with the unit I would assist families through Family Therapy to avoid the court system all together. We not only provided treatment, but provided training for other professionals, and reports to the Family Court on those rare occasions where diversion was not possible. Following this work I began working in an Addiction Outpatient Program which was a unit of a community mental health center (UMDNJ-CMHC-ARS). Here I further trained in substance abuse issues at The Center of Alcohol & Drug Studies at Rutgers University. In addition I continued my Family Therapy studies begun at the family crisis unit, under the tutoring of Monica McGoldrick. Other seminars with Jay Haley, Cloe Madanes, Salvadore Minuchin, and Carl Whittiker rounded out my training. I again introduced both a family and an adolescent program to the unit both of which continue to operate to this day. My next assignment was to introduce and operate a Dual Diagnosis Program to a private psychiatric hospital (Carrier Clinic). I both coordinated the program with the other units of the hospital as well as operated as its primary clinician. At this time I was also involved with the State of NJ as a consultant to assist a group in defining and establishing the protocols for treating those individual with both substance abuse and psychiatric issues. Upon leaving the hospital I took a position at a local rehab center (Princeton House) which was a unit of the University Medical Center at Princeton. There I was Director of Addiction Services, Co-Director of Dual Diagnosis Services, and Director of all of their Outpatient Services. There I was able to revamp treatment protocols to take advantage of the changes in treatment technology to better utilize the continuum of care. As with Carrier Clinic we implemented a series of training seminars, including a large training conference at Princeton University. I then took a position with a large, private Pennsylvania hospital group (Progressions Group) where I was Vice-President of Operations, NJ Treatment Services. I had oversight of 5 Outpatient Centers which included Partial Hospital Programs, and a Residential Center. I finally left my institutional work to expand what had always been a part-time private practice to full-time. This is NOVA Associates, my full-time practice. Here I've been able to use all of my expertise to continue to assist clients and their families to regain their health and recover. In addition to the practice I have also been teaching for many years. I have been on the faculty of the Center for Alcohol & Drug Studies at Rutgers University, and an adjunct professor at Kean University, School of Education.
Greg McBride, MEd, LCADC, LPC