Activities Staff

Administrative Staff

Finance

Human Resources

Information Technology (IT)

Communications

Admissions Staff

Clinical Social Workers

Erikson Institute Distinguished Faculty

Erikson Institute Staff

Faculty

Leadership

Nursing Staff

Online Intensive Outpatient Program

Therapeutic Community Staff

Therapy Staff

Fellows

Psychology

BA in clinical psychology from Rutgers University

MA in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickenson University

PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Arkansas

Pre-doctoral internship at Massachusetts Mental Health Center (a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School system)

Fellowship in psychoanalytic studies at the Austen Riggs Center

MBA from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management

Steven Ackerman, PhD, is a treatment team leader, a psychotherapist, a consultant to the 

, and the accreditation manager at the Austen Riggs Center. Dr. Ackerman is also the chair of the Austen Riggs 

Certified in psychoanalysis by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABAPsa)

Studying the therapeutic alliance through examining the interaction between personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy process.

Accreditation Manager/Team Leader/Chair of the Austen Riggs Institutional Review Board/Staff Psychologist

Alexcia Adams, PMP, is the IT project manager at the Austen Riggs Center.

IT Project Manager

Bachelor of Business Administration with an Accounting Concentration from the University of Puerto Rico

Melissa Agosto joined the Austen Riggs Center in January 2019 as the director of finance. In her current role, she is responsible for financial analysis, accounting internal controls, management of accounts receivable, accounts payable and payroll, preparation of financial reports, auditor liaison, as well as all financial and tax records.

Mrs. Agosto began her professional career in public accounting. Following the launch of her career, she continued to develop her skills in different aspects of accounting and finance including budget preparation, financial analysis and performance reporting, forecasting, inventory management, and others.

Melissa Agosto is the director of finance at the Austen Riggs Center.

Melissa Agosto

Director of Finance

Associates Degree in Accounting from Holyoke Community College

As the director of human resources, Jessica Arrowsmith oversees all the human resources and employee initiatives creating alignment with the Center’s mission, vision, culture and larger community.

Ms. Arrowsmith has nearly 20 years of HR experience with over 10 years of HR leadership in the non-profit sector. Her most recent role was director of people & culture at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Her passion in the HR field is around organizational culture, employee engagement, and mindful leadership all with a focus and awareness around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Outside of work Ms. Arrowsmith enjoys gardening, raising chickens, and enjoying the outdoors with her boyfriend Eric and their Golden Retriever, Daizy Mae.

Jessica Arrowsmith is the director of human resources at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, MA.

Jessica Arrowsmith

Director of Human Resources

BA in cell biology and neuroscience from Rutgers University

MD from Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Instruction at the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis

John Azer, MD, is a staff psychiatrist and the 

Psychodynamic psychotherapy, neuromodulation, and addictions

Staff Psychiatrist/Substance Use Services Coordinator

Jodi Barbeau, RN, is the nurse manager at the Austen Riggs Center.

Jodi Barbeau, RN

Nurse Manager

Doreen Barscz is the nursing department coordinator at the Austen Riggs Center.

Nursing Department Coordinator

Psychiatry residency at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University

Psychotherapy training at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute

Marina Bayeva, MD, PhD, is the director of 

 and a staff psychiatrist at the Austen Riggs Center.

Recipient of the Chair’s Choice Award from the Society of Biological Psychiatry

Honorable Mention by the NIMH Outstanding Resident Award Program

Marina Bayeva, MD, PhD, is the director of psychopharmacology and a fellow in psychiatry at the Austen Riggs Center.

Director of Psychopharmacology/Staff Psychiatrist

BA in English and psychology from Hartwick College

MA in communications (public relations concentration) from Western New England University

Aaron M. Beatty is the communications officer at the Austen Riggs Center where he writes and edits content, analyzes data trends, and helps to develop and maintain editorial and brand standards. In addition, he is responsible for several project management, public relations, and outreach initiatives.

Prior to Riggs, Mr. Beatty was a stay-at-home parent to two children, which provided a crash course in early childhood development. Before that, he was the creative coordinator at KB Toys (Pittsfield, MA) focused on copywriting, graphic design, and project management. He was also a peer trainer at the Alcoholism Council of Tompkins County (Ithaca, NY), working with middle and high school students.

Mr. Beatty has served on the boards of the Becket Athenaeum, Berkshire Writers Room, and Word Street, and was a member of the Historical Commission in Becket (where he and his family currently live) for a number of years. He enjoys writing poetry, reading, running, skiing, live music, and spending time with his family.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business

Advancing Your Communication Strategy in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate Program from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

The role of the unconscious related to creating and receiving organizational and professional communications

Communications Officer

Dave Belliveau is the director of information technology at the Austen Riggs Center. He is an accomplished information technology (IT) leader with more than 20 years of experience focused on organizational health and senior executive advising, and has held leadership positions at Fortune 500 and startup companies such as GE and Wave Systems Corp. Using a cross-functional and international approach, he helps current and future leaders align their business and technology strategies and leverage opportunities.

Mr. Belliveau holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification from ISC2, and has earned a Certified Chief Information Security Officer (C|CISO) designation by the EC-Council.

Director of Information Technology

Carol Bersaw, RN, is a staff nurse at the Austen Riggs Center.

Staff Nurse

MA in philosophy and social policy from American University

Spencer Biel, PsyD, is the director of the 

 for college students and emerging adults in Massachusetts. 

After completing a four-year fellowship at the Austen Riggs Center, Dr. Biel was hired as a full-time staff psychologist and worked for eight years in the residential program, including in roles as assistant team leader, testing and psychotherapy supervisor, and associate director of the Therapeutic Community Program.

As the founding director of the Online IOP, Dr. Biel has shaped the program based on his expertise working with young adults and commitment to increasing access to treatment that promotes deep self-understanding and opportunities for lasting change. For nearly two decades, he has focused clinically on young adults’ efforts to grow from being a child in a family to an adult in the world, directing special attention to the interplay between family and social dynamics and emotion regulation. In the IOP, his staff applies a psychodynamic systems approach, integrating dyadic and social learning so participants can understand developmental influences on their social positioning, translate their symptoms into more straightforward, intelligible communications to others, and deepen authentic interpersonal engagement both inside and beyond the program. This team approach promotes key components of emerging adulthood such as epistemic trust, identity coherence and flexibility, agency, and social belonging.

Dr. Biel is also in private practice in Chicago, where he is a clinical supervisor and treats adolescents, adults, couples, and families. He has published and presented on psychological testing, suicidality, therapeutic communities, and psychodynamic systems approaches to treatment. Currently, he is investigating uses and misuses of hope in psychotherapy.

Clinical Associate Faculty, Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis

Director of Online IOP 

Meet the Austen Riggs staff of therapists, nurses, administrators, and other healthcare professionals who work as a team on behalf of our patients. 

Staff Directory of Therapists and Teams | Austen Riggs

For more information on our residential treatment programs, or answers to any questions, please feel free to contact us. 

Meet Our Team

Steven Ackerman, PhD, MBA, ABPP

Alexcia Adams, PMP

Melissa Agosto

Jessica Arrowsmith

John Azer, MD

Jodi Barbeau, RN

Doreen Barscz

Marina Bayeva, MD, PhD

Aaron M. Beatty, MA

Dave Belliveau

Carol Bersaw, RN

Spencer Biel, PsyD

Contact Us for More

For more information on our residential treatment programs, or answers to any questions, please feel free to contact us.

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