Monika Kolodziej, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry  Clinical Psychologist, Addiction and Comorbidity Treatment Service (ACTS)

Dr. Kolodziej's clinical and research activities broadly address assessment and treatment of substance use disorders in combination with other psychiatric disorders and chronic medical conditions. Specifically, she is engaged in funded projects and clinical endeavors that focus on pharmacotherapy and behavioral treatment options for young adults in recovery from opiate addiction, wellness interventions, organizational interventions to reduce tobacco use in treatment settings through the Addressing Tobacco Through Organizational Change (ATTOC) approach, and integration of behavioral health care with medical care in collaboration with our community partner, Community Healthlink. As one of the founders of the Central MA Addiction Consortium, she is committed to community engagement and leadership to promote treatment and addiction recovery. In addition, she participates in training and education endeavors as an outpatient psychotherapy supervisor in the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship, a clinical supervisor of the addiction rotation in the Psychology Internship Program, and by teaching didactic seminars to trainees, fellows, and residents.

Clinical Activity

Dr. Monika Kolodziej was trained as a health psychologist and completed post-doctoral training in addictions and co-occurring disorders. She combines these areas of expertise in her clinical practice, which focuses on assessment and treatment for persons with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders, as well as chronic medical conditions, such as hepatitis C and diabetes that are often diagnosed among persons in recovery from addiction. She uses the holistic recovery principles as a foundation for her clinical work, and applies evidence-based practices, especially those encompassing the motivational enhancement and cognitive-behavioral approaches, to carry out individual, family, and group interventions.

Education Activity

Dr. Kolodziej serves as a clinical supervisor and a seminar leader. In clinical supervision, she assists the trainees, fellows, and interns acquire knowledge and clinical skills in behavioral interventions for treatment of co-occurring disorders through didactic exposure and hands-on clinical training. During the academic year, Dr. Kolodziej teaches seminars and engages in case-discussions on topics pertinent to behavioral interventions for substance addiction and co-morbidities.

Community Activity

There exist many endeavors in Central Massachusetts that focus on treatment and recovery from substance addiction from the standpoint of peer support, direct service, research, and education of future providers. However, there have been limited opportunities for persons in recovery, providers, educators, and clinical researchers to network and collaborate on trainings, joint presentations, clinical service development projects, and research grant proposals. Therefore, Central Massachusetts Addiction Consortium (CMAC) was founded by Drs. Doug Ziedonis, Monika Kolodziej, and Gerardo Gonzalez to provide a platform for these collaborative meetings and trainings for faculty, residents, and trainees at UMass Chan Medical School and for our community collaborators. The trainings and meetings have aimed to educate professionals and community members about addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery.