UCS welcomes Ken Mayer as new Director of Outpatient Mental Health

United Counseling Service (UCS) welcomes Ken Mayer as the agency’s new Director of Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Use Services. Ken replaces former director, Ryan Murphy, who now serves as Chief Program Officer at UCS. Ken brings over 30 years of experience in crisis intervention, substance use services, family services, and outpatient mental health to UCS, most recently serving as Director of Residential Services at Bridgemark, an addiction recovery center in Warwick, RI.

Ken holds a master’s in business administration with a concentration in healthcare, as well as seven years of training in Jungian analysis.

Before Bridgemark, Ken held several leadership positions at agencies providing mental health and substance use services, including Program Director at Bay Cove Human Services in Stoughton, MA, Clinic Director at Acadia Health in Woonsocket, RI, and Interim President/Chief Executive Officer at AIDS Care Ocean State in Providence, RI, among others.

“I have had an incredibly rewarding career, a career that I have actually retired from twice, and went back to work because I missed it,” says Ken. “It’s hard to match the experience of working with people and seeing them get better.”

Ken’s career in mental health started with working as a counselor in a state hospital in Massachusetts, and he has stayed largely in the mental health realm since then. He has worked in hospitals, jails, substance use treatment, detoxification units, medication assisted treatment, and outpatient mental health.

“With his wealth of experience and proven commitment to compassionate care, he brings invaluable knowledge and perspective to our team,” says Lorna Mattern, Chief Executive Officer of UCS. “We look forward to the expertise he will contribute as we continue to strengthen our services and support the well-being of our community.”

Ken looks forward to serving UCS, its Outpatient Mental Health division, and the Bennington County community. “This is an amazing agency, the way we look at clients, the way we look at our colleagues, is incredibly refreshing. It’s one of the reasons I came here—because I really felt strongly about the agency’s commitment to those very important parts of employment.”