Program Director, Evidence Based Practice Center
Graduated Illinois State University, 2002 (Counseling Psychology) and Wittenberg University, 1994 (Psychology)
Specialty areas: substance use treatment; recovery support; evidence-based practice; adolescents; Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA); Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA); Recovery Monitoring and Support (RMS); program evaluation; mutual support groups; continuing care
Lora L. Passetti is the Program Director of Chestnut Health Systems’ Evidence-based Practice Center (EBP, previously named EBTx). She has worked at Chestnut Health Systems since 1996 and has been involved with several substance abuse treatment and recovery support studies of adolescents and adults in outpatient and residential settings. She has her master’s degree in counseling psychology and is interested in adolescent participation in continuing care and mutual support programs as well as the use of technology in treatment and recovery support. Ms. Passetti has trained recovery support workers nationally, presented at national conferences, and authored or co-authored publications in peer reviewed journals.
Selected Publications:
Passetti, L. L., Godley, M. D., Greene, A.R., & White, W. L. (2019). The Volunteer Recovery Support for Adolescents (VRSA) experiment: Recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers to implement recovery monitoring and support services. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 98, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2018.11.015
Passetti, L. L., Godley, M. D., & Kaminer, Y. (2016). Continuing care for adolescents in treatment for substance use disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 25, 669–684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2016.06.003
Passetti, L. L., & White, W. L. (2008). Recovery support meetings for youths: Considerations when referring young people to 12-step and alternative groups. Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery, 2, 97–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/15560350802081280
Selected Grants and Contracts:
Project Director: Treating Adult Rural Clients with Technology (TRACT) (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2017–2020)
Project Director: Enhancement and Expansion of Treatment and Recovery Services for Adolescents, Transitional Aged Youth, and their Families (Youth and Family TREE) (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2023–2028)
Appointments and Awards:
State of IL Behavioral Health Workforce Center Advisory Council (2023–present)
Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board Workforce Development and Infrastructure Workgroup (2023–present)
Human Subjects Protections Administrator for Chestnut Health Systems IRB (2011–present)
Related Links:
Centers
Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Center
Enhancement and Expansion of Treatment and Recovery Services for Adolescents, Transitional Aged Youth, and their Families (SR TREE)
The purpose of the project is to enhance and expand comprehensive treatment, early intervention, and recovery support services for adolescents (ages 14-18) and their families with substance use disorders and/or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders.
Youth Problem Gambling Prevention: Not a Chance (NAC)
The objective of this project is to evaluate a youth problem gambling prevention curriculum designed by Chestnut prevention staff.
Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals in Virginia (GBHI-VA)
Horizon Behavioral Health received funds to serve homeless adolescents and their families in Virginia by providing trauma-informed outreach and engagement, screening and assessment for substance use and mental health disorders, substance use and mental health treatment, medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, case management, and peer recovery support services.
Comparing Two Federal Financing Strategies on Treatment Penetration and Sustainment
This project will compare the effects of two SAMHSA grant mechanisms (i.e., financing strategies), which supported the adoption of an EBP for adolescent SUD through either organization-focused or state-focused granting of funds.
Family Treatment Drug Court in Virginia (FTDC-VA)
Horizon Behavioral Health received funds to expand its Family Treatment Drug Court (FTDC) in Bedford County, Virginia. It is hypothesized that FTDC participants will show decreased rates of substance use, mental health problems, and engagement in illegal activities between intake to FTDC and 6 months post-intake.
Dopp, A. R., Bongard, M., Han, B., Hindmarch, G. M., Shiferaw, M., Mendon-Plasek, S. J., Tumendemberel, B., Timmins, G., Reeder, K., Pantoja, P., Schlang, D., Passetti, L. L., Godley, M. D., & Hunter, S. B.(2025). Minimal progress toward sustainment: 10-year replication of substance use EBP sustainment trajectories and associations with implementation characteristics. Implementation Science, 21(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-025-01471-2
Dopp, A.R., Passetti, L.L., Vincent, R.M., Bair, C.M.L., Day, K., de Giere, M., Weizman, S., & Hunter, S.B. (2025). Aligning policy to support the use of evidence-based practices equitably and at scale in youth substance use services: Proceedings from a roundtable at the 2025 Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery. RAND. Aligning Policy to Support the Use of Evidence-Based Practices Equitably and at Scale in Youth Substance Use Services: Proceedings from a Roundtable at the 2025 Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery| RAND
Passetti, L.L. (2025, October). SSTRY Program: Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) and Assertive Continuing Care (ACC) [Virtual presentation]. Yale University at the request of Connecticut Department of Children and Families.