About Us

Message from our president

Welcome to Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. We are an outpatient community based non-profit behavioral healthcare organization that is dedicated to assisting with the recovery journey of those impacted by mental health and substance use challenges. We believe that every individual is unique and we offer a variety of treatment and recovery support services customized to meet the individual’s needs. Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. has a rich history of developing innovative award-winning programs and is a recognized leader in behavioral healthcare research and education.

We believe that recovery from substance use and mental health problems is possible for everyone no matter what has happened in the past. We believe that people who step forward and ask for help are courageous and deserve our utmost respect and best efforts. Our approach is non-judgmental, respectful, and patient centered. Our professional staff always maintains an attitude of humanism, respect, and caring towards our patients and the community. They are dedicated and are among the best in the business. We welcome the opportunity to assist you or your loved one with the journey of recovery.

With Best Regards,

Robert C. Lambert
President/Executive Director

Our History and Mission

Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. opened its doors in Norwalk on July 1st, 1984. We began treating 90 patients in our Norwalk Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program. In December of the same year, Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. opened its first Waterbury Clinic.

In October 2005, Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. opened its Danbury Clinic with over 100 patients. In 2017 we opened our second Waterbury Clinic and in 2021 we opened our Meriden Clinic. Since inception, we have grown from a single Opioid Treatment Program to a comprehensive behavioral healthcare organization providing all levels of outpatient substance abuse and mental health services to over 5,300 patients annually within 20 different treatment programs at 5 clinic locations.

Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. believes in the importance of professional research with the goal of increasing our understanding of behavioral health disorders and more importantly to continue to develop new evidence based treatment tools to assist our patients in recovery. During the past 35 years we have participated in a number of important research projects in partnership with numerous Universities and government agencies. 

Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. believes in the importance of ongoing professional development. For over 25 years we have developed several training initiatives that provide training, mentorship, and continuing education to clinical and medical professionals in the communities we serve.

Core Values

  • We will always respect our patients by responding in a caring and professional manner.
  • We will treat all patients and significant others with dignity, emphasizing sensitivity to age, gender, lifestyle, culture and socio-economic status.
  • We will provide treatment to patients regardless of their ability to pay.
  • We will provide all treatment services in a manner that supports the recovery of all members.
  • We will recruit, train and educate highly capable staff, provide competitive levels of compensation and benefits to maintain a working atmosphere, which encourages integrity, growth and development.
  • We will provide services that meet or exceed appropriate accreditation and licensing standards.
  • We will provide prudent and effective leadership for our agency.

Our Approach

We believe that recovery from substance use and mental health disorders is possible and that every patient deserves our respect and best efforts. Our professional and credentialed staff utilizes evidence based treatment and recovery support tools to assist our patients in their recovery journey. We recognize that everyone is an individual and we customize services to meet the individual’s needs. Connecticut Counseling Centers is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, licensed by the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health and funded by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.​

Recovery path with support

Our Corporate Leadership

Robert Lambert, MA, LADC

President & Executive Director
Robert Lambert, MA, LADC

Robert C Lambert has over thirty five years of clinical and administrative experience in the field of behavioral healthcare He has held a number of clinical and administrative positions providing clinical educational supervision management and consultation services During the course of his career he has designed and successfully developed a number of innovation treatment programs Currently he is President and Executive Director of Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc and President of the Connecticut Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor Training Program a comprehensive addictions counselor training program he designed and created He was an Adjunct Faculty Member Department of Psychology at Albertus Magnus College for 23 years where he taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and helped design a graduate program in addictions counseling He is a sought after speaker who has given numerous presentations on topics relating to behavioral healthcare at numerous national and international conferences He has also written a number of articles and text chapters on addiction treatment and behavioral healthcare which have appeared in various publications and peer reviewed journals He is President of the Opioid Treatment Providers of Connecticut and is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of the Treatment of Opioid Dependence AATOD representing the state of Connecticut In 2012 he authored a nationally recognized innovative peer mentoring based program which received the US Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Science and Service award In 2016 he received the prestigious Nyswander Dole Award at the 2016 AATOD Conference for lifetime achievements in the field of medication assisted treatment for opioid dependence

Mark Kraus, MD, FASAM, DABAM

Chief Medical Officer
Mark Kraus, MD, FASAM, DABAM

Dr Kraus has worked for Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc as a clinic Medical Director and Chief Medical officer for over 25 years Dr Kraus is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine ASAM a member of ASAM s Public Policy Committee and Legal Advocacy Committee and a Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine He is also a board member and current Treasurer of Coalition on Physician Education in Substance Use Disorders COPE Additionally he is currently Chair of the Connecticut State Medical Society s Addiction Medicine Committee Dr Kraus is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine In this capacity he teaches Addiction Medicine and General Internal Medicine to Yale and St Mary s Hospital Primary Care General Internal Medicine Residents He also serves as a Mentor in the Physician Clinical Support System for Medication Assisted Treatment for Opiate Dependence Previous appointments include Vice President of ASAM and founder and past President of ASAM s Connecticut Chapter He was Co Chair of the Physician s Task Force on Education for AMERSA and a member of the Primary Care Physician s Work Group for the National Institute of Drug Abuse NIDA He was also a member of the Expert Panel of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for the Addiction Medicine Education Summit meetings and a Board Member of the Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Policy Council and the Connecticut Mental Health Policy Council Dr Kraus was the former Director of Addiction Medicine at St Mary s Hospital and Waterbury Hospital He was also the founder of Westside Medical Group and General Internist at Franklin Medical Group Trinity Healthcare of New England in Waterbury Dr Kraus has presented at numerous national and international conferences and is a sought after speaker He has also written numerous peer reviewed articles and chapters relating to addiction medicine and has lectured nationally and internationally on the subject

Alan Nolan, LCSW

Director of Clinical Operations
Alan Nolan, LCSW

For over 35 years Alan Lee Nolan LCSW has held positions of increasing administrative and clinical responsibilities in the field of behavior healthcare in both the private and not for profit corporate settings Alan received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Syracuse University and his Master of Social Work from the Nelson Rockefeller School of Social Welfare State University of New York at Albany Albany NY Alan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Connecticut Prior to joining Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc in 2000 Alan served as a corporate consultant providing consulting support for a Fortune 500 Corporation labor and employee relations department where he provided EAP services and developed and facilitated training programs for improvement of team performance and interpersonal supervisory skills Alan began his tenure at Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc as a Clinical Team Leader and was promoted to Program Director and most recently Director of Clinical Operations In his current role he supervises the clinical operations of five treatment centers and develops and facilitates the organizations continuing education and training programs Alan is also currently an Instructor and Director of Student Affairs at the organizations Connecticut Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor Training Program which prepares Counselors for certification licensure as a substance use disorder counselor Alan has presented at numerous regional and national conferences and has been a guest lecturer at Alberta Magnus College and Western Connecticut State University Alan has also been involved in numerous research projects during his career

David Schiavo

Director of Human Resources
David Schiavo

David Schiavo has been the Director of Human Resources at Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc since September 2006 His background is in both the non profit as well as the for profit business sectors He has over 35 years of experience in multiple disciplines within Human Resources David received his college degree in Business Administration from SUNY Westchester David is responsible for all Human Resource activities at Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc and will assure that CCC Inc is compliant with all state and federal employment regulations As a member of the Executive Leadership team David demonstrates a commitment to his role and is seen as a strategic partner understanding the goals values and mission of the organization Before joining CCC Inc David has corporate experience working at Xerox Corporation Maclean Hunter Media Cendant Mobility and Putnam County NY A R C David has been acknowledged in Connecticut for his award winning on site Wellness programs

Wayne Wamser, BS

Director of Finance
Wayne Wamser, BS

Wayne Wamser is the Director of Finance at Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc Wayne joined CCC in 2006 with expertise in the areas of general ledger accounts payable payroll and budget Prior to CCC Wayne served as a Controller at Stamford Health System directing a staff of accountants payroll personnel and accounts payable personnel Wayne also served at Bridgeport Hospital working in the Budget amp Reimbursement area Prior to his time in the healthcare field Wayne served as a Cost Accountant by companies in the for profit sector including Harvey Hubbell s Wiring Device Division in Bridgeport and the Swank Corporation in South Norwalk manufacturing leather goods Wayne received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Central Connecticut State University

Jason Bradway, MSA

Director of Information Systems
Jason Bradway, MSA

Jason Bradway has thirty years of experience working with Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc He holds degrees in accounting and computer science from Post University He started in 1993 as administrative support at the Waterbury clinic In 1995 he was promoted to Assistant to the Executive Director and moved forward to the corporate office assisting the Executive Director with the organizations operations In 2000 he was promoted to the position of Director of Information Systems In his current position he oversees the operations of the computerized network systems as well as the insurance billing and collections department

Board of Directors​​

Abram Heisler

Abram J. Heisler Esq.​

Chairman

Richard J. Bilangi, M.S.​

Director and Founder of Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc.

Frank D. Cory​

Treasurer

Larry Katz​

Secretary

Felicia Russell-Stewart​

Director
Cathy Awwad

Catherine Awwad

Director

Alex Jurez

Director

Our Program Leadership

Maureen O’Neill Biggs, MS, LPC, LADC

Program Director
Maureen O’Neill Biggs, MS, LPC, LADC

Maureen O Neill Biggs has forty seven years of experience in the field of behavioral health She began working in the field of chemical dependency and mental health in 1976 at the Shirley Frank Foundation At the time of the closing of the Shirley Frank Foundation Maureen secured a position with Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford CT as a director where she worked with the mentally ill chemically dependent individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and physically challenged hospital population At Gaylord Hospital Maureen developed a workbook for the Traumatic Brain Injured individual assisted in securing Joint Commission Accreditation for the chemical dependency programs was chairperson for the CQI Committee and as a Safety Monitor developed a risk and safety questionnaire for all Gaylord staff From 1991 to 1993 she was the Chairperson and Coordinator of Addiction Services for the Connecticut Hospital Association In 1993 Maureen worked as a Director with the department of Psychiatry at Griffin Hospital overseeing both the Chemical Dependency and Psychiatric Outpatient facilities Maureen also assisted in securing Joint Commission Accreditation for the Chemical dependency Program and developed the Policy and Procedures for that program In 2002 Maureen secured a position with MCCA in the capacity of VP of Clinical Operations where she oversaw all programming and wrote numerous grants for the organization Maureen worked for Recovery Network of Programs in 2010 as Clinical Director and ultimately Division Director and then VP of Regulatory Affairs She currently works as Program Director with Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc and has been with the organization since 2018

Josh Noffsinger, LCSW

Meriden Program Director
Josh Noffsinger, LCSW

Josh Noffsinger LCSW is a Program Director at Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc Meriden Clinic He holds a Bachelor 8217 s Honors Degree in Psychology from the University of Connecticut and a Master 8217 s of Social Work from Quinnipiac University Josh has a wealth of knowledge in the field of mental health and substance use His experience includes being on an ACT team in Middletown CT where he helped foster independence for adults living with chronic mental health diagnoses working in an in home family therapy program in Hartford CT where he engaged with teenagers and their families starting his work in the field of substance use at a Opioid Treatment Program in Bristol CT and currently as a part of Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc where he initially joined the Midland Road clinic team in 2020 as a Clinical Team Leader He transferred to the Meriden clinic as Clinical Team Leader in 2021 and was promoted to Program Director in 2022 Josh has a passion for helping individuals who are trying to better themselves and their lives He especially enjoys the community he and the Meriden team are building in Meriden CT where he looks forward to the future of the clinic and all they can accomplish there

Stacy Benson, MS, LADC

Danbury Program Director
Stacy Benson, MS, LADC

Stacy is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor LADC in Connecticut with 10 years of experience working with clients with co occurring substance use and behavioral health disorders She achieved her Bachelor s Degree in Business Management and Masters Degree in School Counseling with an Advanced Degree in Substance and Alcohol abuse from Mercy College in New York In addition Stacy completed 24 hours of the Connecticut Certification Board s accredited Intensive Clinical Supervision training Stacy was appointed Clinical Team Leader for Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc Danbury clinic providing administrative duties clinical assessments and diagnosis treatment and referral services Stacy s duties also included coordination and oversight of the clinical supervision program for Masters CADC and Associate level counselors After two years at Danbury as a Clinical Team Leader Stacy was promoted to Program Director at the agency s Danbury Clinic where she presently serves

Elizabeth Klass-Pirola, MS, LADC, LPC

Bookside Road Program Director
Elizabeth Klass-Pirola, MS, LADC, LPC

Elizabeth Klass Pirola is the Program Director at the Brookside Road clinic She is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor LADC and a Licensed Professional Counselor LPC in Connecticut with over 15 years of experience in working with patients with co occurring substance use and mental health disorders Her Master s degree was awarded with distinction from Fordham University Her counseling experience includes counseling in both inpatient and outpatient settings She is also certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy DBT Elizabeth is bilingual and has worked with Italian speaking clients with severe Mental Health issues in group settings She joined Connecticut Counseling Centers in October 2016 as a Counselor at the Danbury Clinic In 2019 she was promoted to Clinical Team Leader In 2022 she was promoted to her current position of Program Director of the Brookside Road clinic

Jeffrey Greenblatt, MA, LADC

Norwalk Program Director
Jeffrey Greenblatt, MA, LADC

Jeffrey Greenblatt MA LADC is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor LADC in Connecticut with 25 years of experience working with adults with co occurring disorders He has a Bachelor s degree in Psychology from Clark University and Master s Degree in Applied Psychology from Fairfield University He joined Connecticut Counseling Centers in November of 2011 as an Outpatient Counselor providing services in both the Outpatient Treatment Program and the Opioid Treatment Program He was promoted to Clinical Team Leader in 2014 and Program Director in 2018 In addition to his management of the Norwalk clinic Jeff is the Director of Admissions for the Connecticut Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor CT CADAC Training Program Jeff has also presented at the 2022 American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence AATOD Conference

Suzanne De Rosa

Suzanne De Rosa, MS, LPC

Midland Road Program Director
Suzanne De Rosa, MS, LPC

Suzanne DeRosa is the Program Director of the Waterbury Midland Road facility Suzanne graduated from Quinnipiac College with a BA in Psychology and attended Central Connecticut State University CCSU for her Master s degree in Counseling Suzanne earned an Advanced Counseling Certificate from CCSU completed the University of Connecticut Nonprofit Leadership Program and St Joseph s University Clinical Supervision Program With over 20 years of Licensed Professional Counseling experience Suzanne has worked with children adolescents adults and families with mental health and or addiction issues in a variety of levels of care Suzanne is recognized as a clinical leader within not for profit settings managing organizational and programmatic areas for many years Suzanne is trained in many evidence based practices and remains a practitioner in the field

Annual Report

Download our FY23 annual report