Robert Wright, LMSW, CASAC Master Counselor, MAC

Robert Wright, LMSW, CASAC Master Counselor, MAC, is Senior Trainer for Outreach Training Institute (OTI), who as a member of the core faculty, leads group discussions and experiential learning activities, as well as teaches CASAC and professional development courses, extending training to aspiring health and behavioral health professionals and provider communities.

Wright has nearly 30 years of experience in the social services arena, with expertise as a director and clinical services supervisor, quality assurance reviewer, care and supportive services manager, senior consultant, and educator and trainer for numerous nonprofit and government agencies with focus on substance use disorder/addiction treatment, mental health and HIV/AIDS. The organizations to which Wright has contributed his clinical and managerial talents and skills include the Veterans Administration Medical Center, NYC Minority AIDS Task Force, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (previously Mental Retardation and Alcoholism Services), Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation, Planned Parenthood Project Street Beat, FACES NY of Central Harlem, Services for the UnderServed CTI, and Greenhope Services for Women, Inc.

Wright’s specialty in training spans two decades, most recently and immediately before joining Outreach, as Assistant Director for Training for Samaritan Daytop Village, where he was responsible for curriculum development and training programs for agency personnel, as well as for oversight of the CASAC program for staff and students referred from NYS ACCESS-VR and NYC HRA. Wright previously worked for Phoenix House Programs as director of the organization’s New York training center, and as Deputy Director of National Training, creating and delivering curriculum to clinical staff at facilities located across the nation. Since 2007, he has also simultaneously held faculty positions as an Adjunct Professor at the College of New Rochelle, teaching courses in The Understanding and Treatment of Addictive Behaviors, Dynamics of Group Process, Counseling the Culturally Diverse, and Ethics in Counseling, and as a CASAC Instructor at the Center for Addiction Studies and Research.

Wright is a Certified Social Worker, CASAC-certified and is a NAADAC-certified Master Addiction Counselor (MAC). He is an Independent OASAS Approved Trainer, Clinical Supervision Trainer, and Motivational Interviewing Trainer, and is certified by the NYC Board of Health in Pre- and Post-Test HIV Counseling.

Wright holds a Master of Social Work from the Fordham University School of Social Work, and a Bachelor of Social Work from Adelphi University, where he graduated with honors. He is a Member of the National Association of Social Workers and the National Association of Black Social Workers.