MODERN ASSISTANCE - Key Persons
Amy Murphy is a clinician at Modern Assistance. She works with substance use and mental health clients and is experienced with both adult and adolescent populations. She was formerly a clinician with the Structured Outpatient Addictions Program at Arbour Counseling Services, where she provided individual and group counseling to clients with substance use disorders. She continues to volunteer at the South Shore Peer Recovery Center in Scituate, MA. Amy holds a Masters degree in Education from Salem State University and a Bachelors of Communications from the University of New Hampshire. She is a Certified Substance Addictions Counselor.
Diane has been with Modern Assistance for 3 years as an assistant in the Drug Testing and Compliance Department. She performs oral drug testing for our walk-in clients, along with looking up their results on the Lab Website.
Diane has previously worked as an Administrative Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor for External Relations at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Dr. Souffront is a licensed psychologist (MA & NH) with 40 years of clinical experience in the field. She has a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Temple University. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings such as: community mental health clinics, federal correctional institutions, a day shelter for homeless adults and private outpatient settings. In most of these settings, she has provided a combination of direct services, program development and staff clinical and administrative supervision. Dr. Souffront has extensive experience in addiction treatment. She designed and was responsible for outpatient substance abuse programming at FCI Fort Dix (Federal Correctional Institution). She also was the clinical director at St. Francis House, a day shelter for homeless adults that served a severe co-occurring population. She has been responsible for design, implementation and clinical supervision of programs and staff.
Dr. Souffront is part time faculty at Bridgewater School of Social Work (Bridgewater State University) and at the Addictions Certificate Program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She teaches addiction treatment to undergraduate, graduate and counseling students. She also provides clinical consulting to several organizations. She currently maintains a private practice providing individual and couples therapy. Dr. Souffront specialties include: affective disorders, stress, anxiety, substance use disorders, trauma, life stage issues. She works with couples on relationship issues and parenting. She works with heterosexual and LGBTQ couples.
Job Titles:
- Case Manager / Consulting Psychologist
Job Titles:
- Director of Client Services
Jennifer Coppellotti, LADC II has worked in the substance use and mental health field for the past three years. She studied at Umass Boston and is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor.
Job Titles:
- Consulting Taft - Hartley Compliance Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
Mr. Christian is President and Chief Executive Officer as well as a clinician at Modern Assistance. He is a mental health and substance abuse counselor, criminal justice specialist, and is an expert witness for clients in the Massachusetts court system. He was formerly the Director of Social Services for the Homeless Services Bureau of the Boston Public Health Commission where he oversaw vocational rehabilitation programs, adult education, and prisoner reentry services at the Long Island Shelter. He has been in the human services field since 1993.
Mr. Christian holds a Master's Degree in Human Development and Psychology and in Counseling Psychology, is a licensed mental health clinician, a licensed and certified alcoholism and drug abuse counselor, a substance abuse professional for the Department of Transportation, and is a certified clinical forensics counselor. He is the President of the Board of Directors of Edwina Martin House, a recovery home for women.
He is an instructor for continuing education classes for the Addiction Counselor Education Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston and a course coach at the Harvard Kennedy School. Mr. Christian holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Job Titles:
- Director of Drug & Alcohol Compliance
Judi has been with Modern Assistance Programs, Inc. for 8 years. She is the Director of Drug and Alcohol Compliance for the Workplace Safety Program at Modern Assistance Programs leading the workplace safety drug testing for over a dozen trade unions within the Greater Boston area. The Workplace Safety Programs are part of collective bargaining agreements (CBA) between Unions and Contractor Associations designed to improve safety standards within the industry
Judi works closely with the Modern Assistance team and serves as our primary contact between Union/Contractor representatives, labs/MRO, and donors. Judi leads our team of Drug Coordinators, directing training, scheduling, testing, results, and record maintenance for approximately 15,000 tests per year.
Within the many unions and companies that Modern Assistance Programs services, Judi is responsible for the scheduling, coordinating, and facilitating of all drug and alcohol testing which includes random, for-cause, post-accident on-site testing, and decision making. She holds the collection, accountability, and transport of all our members' drug and alcohol testing samples to the highest standards, ensuring quality assurance processes, policies, and procedures are implemented and maintained in all aspects of Modern Assistance Programs drug testing.
Judi has extensive medical knowledge and training. She is certified and knowledgeable in all aspects of DOT and BAT Drug & Alcohol Collection. She is responsible for all scheduling of DOT/BAT testing for multiple unions working within the Mandatory Guidelines for Workplace Drug Testing Programs of the FRA & FMCSA.
She has worked at Modern Assistance for over 12 years.
Job Titles:
- Consulting Clinical Supervisor / Compliance
Job Titles:
- Workplace Safety Program Coordinator
Melissa has been with Modern Assistance since 2020. She works under the supervision of the Director of Drug Testing and Compliance. Melissa coordinates and inputs all drug testing results, develops compliance reports, and assists in monitoring our Workplace Safety Programs compliance. She maintains our database and prepares all monthly testing totals and invoicing.
Michael is the Program Director and a clinician at Modern Assistance. He is a mental health and substance abuse counselor and has worked in the behavioral health field for the past 8 years. Michael was previously a clinician at Pembroke Hospital. He brings unique experience to Modern Assistance having spent 16 years working in the high-tech field, primarily with start-ups in sales, marketing roles, and executive leadership roles.
Michael holds a Master's Degree in Social Work from Simmons College and Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Studies from Tufts University. He is a licensed independent social worker, licensed alcohol and drug counselor, and a certified clinical forensics counselor. Michael is an instructor for continuing education classes for the Addiction Counselor Education Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Job Titles:
- Director of Alternative Care
She works with alternative care providers, union members, and their families to ensure the highest quality of care and the effective use of funds.
Prior to her current role, Nelly was a case manager for outpatient mental health and substance abuse along with managing the alternative care program. She is a Certified Group Leader of The Chronic Pain Self-Management Program and The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program by the Stanford University Patient Education Research Center.
She is also a certified Alcohol/Chemical Dependent Counselor and a Certified Medical Interpreter. She is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Nelly is also a seasoned career coach.
Patty is responsible for processing inpatient and outpatient claims for Modern Assistance. She has been with Modern Assistance for three years.
Paul chaired numerous non-profit boards and received many awards. He considered himself fortunate to have lived the life that he had.
Shaun is a clinician with Modern Assistance. He comes with over a decade of experience in the mental health/substance use disorder field, most recently working in an integrated care model at the health center in South Boston. Shaun holds a master's degree from Southern New Hampshire University in clinical mental health counseling. Additionally, he studied at UMass Boston and is a licensed drug and alcohol counselor.
Shaun uses a pragmatic approach to the treatment of various psychological & relational difficulties. His experience includes individual counseling in both outpatient and residential settings as well as facilitating group therapy sessions covering a number of different topics. Shaun has developed a collaborative, empathetic, and straightforward clinical approach that centers on client empowerment.
His areas of interest include character development, life enrichment, and helping people adapt and navigate experiences of addiction and trauma and the overall impact these issues can have on one's well-being.