About Dr. Welches

Phil Welches, PhD is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with more than 30 years of experience in mental health and substance abuse treatment.  He is currently engaged in private practice, providing individual therapy for adults with mental, emotional and/or substance abuse problems; and consultation with agencies on mental health and substance abuse program development.  Dr. Welches is past clinical director at Illinois' largest addiction treatment provider, psychology director of Illinois' busiest psychiatric hospital, and director of both residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment centers.  He is author of peer-reviewed journal articles on collaborative approaches to assessment, therapy, and research; and co-author of the book, Mindfulness-Based Sobriety, published by New Harbinger in 2014. Dr. Welches is past President of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Sciences (Chicago Chapter), a professional organization promoting mindfulness and contextual acceptance-based approaches; and is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT).  In 2012, the Illinois Alcoholism & Drug Dependence Association (currently named Illinois Association for Behavioral Health) awarded Dr. Welches the Dr. C. Vincent Bakeman Memorial Award "in recognition of tireless leadership and dedication to the advancement of addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery."