New York native hired as agency`s outpatient services director

Beth Covelli, LCSW-R, has been hired as senior director of outpatient services for the New York City treatment sites of the organization Outreach. Some of the services provided at Outreach's locations in Brooklyn and Queens include intensive outpatient services for middle school students, outpatient services for adolescents, and adult services such as a DWI program.

Covelli, who chairs the Queens Consortium on Substance Abuse and Alcoholism, said in a news release that she believes the future is bright for addiction professionals in New York City, in part because of Mayor Bill de Blasio's outspokenness about the issue of addiction and his experience with his daughter's struggles.

Outreach executive vice president Neil Sheehan said, “Beth is familiar with the issues here. She knows that Brooklyn and Queens, particularly, are incredibly diverse and it is important for treatment providers to understand the impact of culture in treatment. Outreach provides services in multiple languages, including English, Spanish and Polish, which makes a tremendous difference.”

Covelli has worked in the substance use field in New York City for most of her career, starting in school-based services. She previously served as director of outpatient substance abuse services at the Child Center of New York.