Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS) has appointed Dr. Charles Silberstein as the new medical director of the Island Counseling Center.
In his new role, Silberstein will head the counseling center’s multidisciplinary team “to ensure best practices and compliance with policies and regulations required for a licensed community mental health center.” Silberstein will also provide limited psychopharmacology for the counseling center to help coordinate care models for patients with all service providers. Psychopharmacology studies the effects of drugs on the mind and behavior.
“As medical director at the Island Counseling Center, I hope to have more of a role in teaching, strategic planning, and maintaining the highest level of mental health care for the Vineyard,” Dr. Silberstein said in a statement released as part of the announcement. “My life’s work and passion is the mental health of our community. I have always admired MVCS’ mission of serving the underserved and all of the Vineyard community, and I am enormously grateful for the trust that they have given me and for the opportunity to help.”
Silberstein is board-certified in general, addiction, and geriatric psychiatry. In addition to his new role, Silberstein also practices psychiatry at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. He is a co-founder of Vineyard House, and chair of the Martha’s Vineyard Substance Use Disorder Coalition’s Public Health Campaign committee.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Dr. Silberstein step in to fill this vital role,” Julie Fay, executive director at MVCS, said in the release. “This is a perfect fit given his vast knowledge of community mental health and experience working with individuals who have been affected by poverty, family trauma, and substance use.”
