Meet The IMPACT Team
Jim Carter, PhD
Jim Carter, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, is the president of Specialty Behavioral Health and Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSD School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. He originally trained with an emphasis on cognitive behavioral therapy and completed a postdoctoral fellowship focused on combining behavioral and pharmacological treatments for patients with severe substance dependence. Dr. Carter was introduced to Motivational Interviewing in 1994 and since then, has woven these principles into his other areas of practice. He has authored several peer reviewed publications, served as a reviewer for scientific journals, directed large scale clinical trials and substance treatment programs, and worked clinically in a correctional setting and university counseling center. He is a member of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, and provides MI training to university faculty and staff, health care organizations, correctional facilities, and independent practitioners.
Ali Hall
Ali Hall is an independent contractor and trainer, and has designed and facilitated over 100 Motivational Interviewing workshops for behavioral health clinicians, program administrators, educators, social and child welfare workers, health care providers, health coaches, and criminal justice professionals, and provides training for trainers in evidence-based practices. Ali is also a Motivational Interviewing consultant and received her training in Motivational Interviewing (MI), the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) coding model, Motivational Interviewing for Supervisors (MIST), Evidence-Based Practices for Supervisors, and Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools for Enhancing Proficiency (MIA-STEP) through the University of New Mexico, the Mid-Atlantic and North East Addiction Technology Transfer Centers, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She serves on the Dissemination Team of the CA-AZ Node of NIDA’s Clinical Trials Network and is an Associate with the Center for Strength-Based Strategies. Ali provides motivational interviewing coding as well as skill development feedback and coaching. Ali also provides training in assessment, with an emphasis on evidence-based practice tools such as the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI), Risk and Resiliency tools, and the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) for adults. Ali designs and delivers training, and provides consultation, in other substance abuse and behavioral health evidence-based best practices such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Seeking Safety, Brief Interventions, tobacco cessation, and effective interventions for working with adults and youth with co-occurring conditions.
Melinda Hohman, Ph.D. is a Professor at the School of Social Work, San Diego State University. She teaches courses in substance abuse treatment, research, and social work practice. Dr. Hohman’s research interests include substance abuse assessment and treatment services and the overlap of substance abuse treatment and Child Welfare services. She has been a trainer in Motivational Interviewing (MI) since 1999, training community social workers, Child Welfare workers, probation officers, and addiction and mental health counselors across California. She is currently the Project Director of Motivational Interviewing training for over 2000 employees of the California Division of Juvenile Justice (Cal-METRO Project) which is conducted through the Center on Criminality, Addiction Research Training and Application, Department of Psychiatry, UC-San Diego.
Bill James, MSW
Bill James has been working for the County of San Diego since 1993 and supervising Child Welfare staff since 2001. Motivational Interviewing is a primary focus of his social work practice. Bill has conducted trainings on Motivational Interviewing and Child Welfare Practice since 2007 for the Southern California Public Child Welfare Academy, San Diego State University, Mental Health Systems, Inc, and other San Diego area non-profits. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University, a Master's of Social Work from San Diego State University, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of California.
Igor Koutsenok, MD, MS
Center Director
Dr. Koutsenok was recruited by the UCSD Department of Psychiatry in 1997. Dr. Koutsenok led the design and implementation of the Workforce Development Training series for substance abuse counselors and criminal justice professionals working in custody and community-based treatment programs in California. He is the UCSD FACT (Forensic Addiction Treatment Certification) Board of Education Director and Director of the Offender Substance Abuse Treatment Institute. Dr. Koutsenok serves as of the trainers for the National Drug Court Institute, providing training and education for judges and members of the judicial system nationwide. Dr. Igor Koutsenok and Dr. David Deitch designed an innovative approach to reduce recidivism in parolees, which in 2006 was presented to and authorized by the California legislature as Senate Bill 618 – Offender Re-Entry Program.
Dr. Koutsenok is teaching General Psychopathology course for second year UCSD medical students, human growth and development course for 1st year UCSD medical students, as well as he runs support group for 3rd year UCSD psychiatry residents.
He is also directing the Cal-METRO training project, a large-scale Motivational Interviewing training project to train over 3000 professionals working in juvenile correctional institutions statewide.
He has authored and co-authored over 30 scientific publications and book chapters, such as “Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook” 4th edition, Lowinson, J., Ruiz, P., Millman, R., & Langrod, J. (Eds.), 2004; “Treating Addicted Offenders – A Continuum of Effective Practices”, K.Knight & D. Farabee (Eds.), 2005; “Advances in Corrections Based Treatment: Building the Addiction Treatment Workforce”, Praeger International Collection on Addictions, A. Browne-Miller (Ed.), 2009, “Motivational Interviewing Training for Correctional Professionals – The CalMetro Project”, Praeger International Collection on Addictions, A. Browne-Miller (Ed.), 2009
Dr. Koutsenok has been invited as guest speaker and trainer to numerous conferences and professional gatherings nationwide and in more than 15 countries.
He is a proud father of three.
Bill Matulich, PhD
William (Bill) Matulich, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 25 years experience as a therapist, teacher, supervisor, researcher, consultant, and trainer in a variety of settings including private practice, hospitals, universities, schools, homeless facilities, the VA, and the Navy. He has worked with veterans and active duty military, students, the chronically mentally ill, substance abusers and homeless people. He is a member of the international network of Motivational Interviewing Trainers (MINT) and has taught Motivational Interviewing workshops and classes to teachers, counselors, case managers, psychologists, interns, substance abuse counselors, nurses and others. Dr. Matulich lives and works in San Diego, California.
Scott McClure, PhD, is the Principal Learning Skills Counselor at the University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Criminality and Addiction Research, Training, and Application (CCARTA). At CCARTA, he supervises the Senior Learning Skills Counselors, oversees curriculum development, and provides technology transfer of evidence based treatment for substance use disorders to addiction treatment professionals throughout the state of California. Prior to CCARTA, Dr. McClure worked at the UCSD Co-occurring Disorders Outpatient clinic as an addiction treatment clinician were he provided intensive individual and group treatment for county and Proposition 36 clients with co-occurring disorders (COD). Dr. McClure received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, San Diego in 2008. He has over 9 years of experience with mental health and addiction treatment, which includes over seven years of providing individual and group treatment for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues across a broad scope of populations ranging from the severally mentally ill to university students. Dr. McClure has strong clinical and training facilitation experience in Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Addiction, Trauma Informed Treatment (Seeking Safety), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and integrative treatment for co-occurring disorders. His clinical and research interests include criminality and addiction, post traumatic stress disorder, work force development, and multicultural issues.
Ian Schere, PhD
Ian Schere, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist, and the clinical supervisor for TSA’s Door of Hope residential treatment center for adolescents and SDYS’ the Bridge group home. Dr. Schere has clinical specializations in parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) and Motivational Interviewing, and is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). In addition, Dr. Schere has facilitated preceptorships for first year medical students at the UCSD School of Medicine, and is a faculty lecturer at the SDSU School of Social Work and Alliant International University.
Katie Slack, MSW
Ms. Slack received her BS in Psychology from Guilford College in North Carolina and her Master of Social Work degree from San Diego State University. Ms. Slack is also an Office of Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP) Certified Crisis Intervention Counselor. In addition, Ms. Slack is a member of MINT (Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers). Her work history includes over ten years of experience in the Social Services field. Ms Slack specializes in the use of Motivational Interviewing with survivors of Domestic Violence, and conducted one of the first known research projects on this topic. She is currently the Research Coordinator on a project using Motivational Interviewing with survivors of Domestic Violence who have an open Child Welfare Services case. Ms. Slack also provides trainings on Motivational Interviewing for Domestic Violence agencies throughout the state of California.
