PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Current Positions:

Dennis C. Daley, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychiatry and Chief of Addiction Medicine Services (AMS) at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA.   WPIC is one of the leading psychiatric institutions in the country, internationally known for its research in the basic sciences and clinical care.  AMS has over 25 treatment, research, student assistance, prevention and intervention programs.  AMS serves thousands of clients each year in psychiatric hospital, residential, partial hospital, intensive outpatient and outpatient programs.  AMS also has specialized programs for mothers and pregnant women, clients involved in the criminal justice system, those addicted to opiates in need of methadone maintenance, and those with co-occurring psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Daley has been with WPIC since 1986 and is involved in clinical care, teaching and research.  He previously served as Director of Family Studies and Social Work at WPIC.  Dr. Daley and his colleagues were one of the first groups in the country to develop integrated treatment program for patients with mental disorders combined with substance use disorders (co-occurring or dual disorders).

Teaching:

As a faculty member at WPIC, Dr. Daley is involved in clinical teaching of medical students, psychiatric residents and graduate students in the behavioral sciences.  He is Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Daley was previously Co-Director of the Education Core for the VISN 4 Veteran Administration’s Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Care project, a joint project between the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh VA Medical Centers.

He was an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Individual and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University from 1979-1989, and in the Department of Sociology at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 1989-2000.  Dr. Daley has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses over this twenty-one year period.  He has presented lectures and clinical workshops in the areas of addiction, mental illness and dual disorders (addiction combined with mental illness) in over 30 States, Canada and Europe. Dr. Daley frequently presents at national, state and local conferences, treatment centers and universities.  He has provided training programs for the United States Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.


Clinical Care:

Dr. Daley has been involved in developing and managing treatment services for addiction and dual disorders for over twenty-seven years.  He has developed models of clinical care in the areas of relapse prevention, dual disorders, group treatment and motivational therapy.  Dr. Daley continues to provide individual and family therapy to a small number of patients.

Publications:

Dr. Daley has over 260 publications including books, book chapters, recovery guides, journal articles and educational films on dual disorders, recovery, relapse prevention and family issues.  He has also authored recovery materials for children and adolescents.  Most recently, he published several books with Oxford University Press including “Addiction and Mood Disorders;” Therapist's Guide to “Managing Your Alcohol or Drug Problem;” and Client Workbook for “Managing Your Alcohol or Drug Problem.” 

Dr. Daley has developed an electronic journal that can help individuals in recovery from addiction stay sober and lower relapse risk.  This is a unique recovery tool, which can be used by any individual who likes to write about experiences and feelings as part of ongoing recovery.

His educational and recovery materials for clients and families are informative, user friendly and very helpful in the recovery process.  They are used in many treatment programs in the United States, Canada and Europe, with several being translated into foreign languages.  Today, over two million copies of his recovery materials are in print.  Surveys of clients in treatment show that they find interactive workbooks very informative and helpful in learning recovery strategies to manage their disorder(s).

Dr. Daley has written treatment and counseling manuals for clinicians on mental illness, addiction, relapse prevention, cocaine addiction, treatment adherence, family treatment, and group counseling.  Over 130,000 copies of his professional materials are in print.  Dr. Daley has also written chapters for major textbooks on addiction including the American Society on Addiction Medicine’s Principles of Addiction Medicine and the American Psychiatric Press’s Textbook on Substance Abuse.  He has also written publications for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Some of Dr. Daley over thirty educational videos for patients and families include the Living Sober I (8 videos on early recovery issues), Living Sober II (6 videos on middle recovery issues), Living Sober III (5 videos on motivation and compliance) interactive video programs, the Promise of Recovery (an 11-video program on recovery from psychiatric illness), and Double Trouble (a film addressing addiction and mood disorders).  He is featured in several of Hazelden’s educational videos in the “Dual Diagnosis Series” and has consulted Hazelden on Suicide and Addiction and Schizophrenia and Addiction.  He has also authored a new workbook in Hazelden’s “Dual Diagnosis Series” on Understanding Suicide and Addiction, and has updated numerous workbooks and pamphlets in this series.

Research:

Dr. Daley is currently the Principal Investigator of the Appalachian Tri-State Node of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trial Network (CTN) project.  The CTN is a national network of Regional Research and Training Centers and Community Treatment Providers that conducts multi-site clinical trials throughout the United States on addiction treatment.

He has also been or currently holds the position of Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator, Investigator, consultant or trainer on ten other research studies sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism related to treatment of individuals with alcoholism, cocaine addiction, other substance disorders, depression, bipolar illness or other psychiatric disorders.  He has been a consultant on three federally funded research projects, two at McLean Hospital of the Harvard Medical School for the treatment of patients with bipolar disorder and addiction, and one at Spalding University addressing treatment of adolescent alcohol abuse.

Consultation:

Dr. Daley has consulted with numerous treatment programs in the U.S. and Europe.  He is currently a consultant and trainer for a dual diagnosis program for incarcerated youth with substance use and psychiatric disorders.  This program was named “Program of the Year for 2002” by The Pennsylvania Association on Probation, Parole and Corrections.  He is also a consultant to the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department.


Personal Bits and Pieces of Information:

Dr. Daley is the proud father of a 26 year old son and 22 year old daughter.  In early 2005, he sadly lost his beloved wife of 30 years, Natalie, to cancer.  He has written a “Grief Journal“ with his good friend and colleague, Antoine Douaihy, M.D., and is currently working on some other writings on grief.  At some point, Dr. Daley may post some personal writings about his experiences on this website.  In coping with his grief, he has kept handwritten and electronic journals throughout his wife’s illness and since her death.  Dr. Daley believes that in sharing some of his experiences of walking in deep sadness, he may be of help to others experiencing a significant loss.

Dr. Daley is a veteran of the United States Army, where he served in the United States and Germany.   He worked his way through undergraduate and graduate school by working for the government in the Washington, D.C. area as a clerk-typist, courier and computer operator.

Prior to college, Dr. Daley was a member of the very first “Upward Bound” class in 1966 and 1967, and spent two consecutive summers during high school at St. Francis College in Loretto, PA.  As Dr. Daley explained, this experience had a very profound impact on him in terms of helping him become interested and motivated to eventually attend college.  Prior to Upward Bound, he remembers doing rather poorly in school.

Dr. Daley is an avid sports fan, especially enjoying basketball, hockey and football.  He is also a dedicated Steelers fan.  When he’s not supporting his favorite college and professional sports teams, Dr. Daley enjoys traveling, both in the United States and overseas.  In the past, he has lived in Germany for one year, Greece for a summer, and has traveled throughout Europe.  His favorite city is Paris, as he finds it to be one of the most beautiful, charming and interesting cities in the world.

What Dr. Daley most enjoys most about his job is being able to make a difference in people's lives through his professional work and writings for clients and their families.  When he is not working on his professional research and writings, Dr. Daley enjoys reading non-fiction and fiction.   In the past few years, he has begun to read and re-read classic literature and watch old movies based on these books (when available).  Currently, Dr. Daley is also teaching himself to write fiction.  He is also a huge music fan, especially of old time rock n’ roll, classical, jazz, some new age and bluegrass.