Anne Thompson Heller earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership: Higher Education and Student Affairs from the Neag School of Education in May, 2011. She joined the HDFS Department in Fall 2011 as a master’s student in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program. After completing her master’s, she joined the HDFS PhD program where she has studied adolescent and young adult substance use disorders (SUD) and recovery. As a translational scholar, Anne has primarily focused her research on collegiate recovery programs (CRP) designed to support college students in recovery from SUD. Specifically, Anne’s research has sought to enhance the understanding of CRP organizations, structures, and practices that promote recovery, academic success, and psychosocial development and adjustment for the students they serve. Anne’s published work has appeared in several journals, including Society and Mental Health, JMIR Mental Health, Journal of Recovery Science, Addiction Research & Theory, and Substance Use and Misuse. She has provided webinars for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Association of Student Personnel Administration and has presented at numerous national conferences including: The Association of Recovery in Higher Education, The National Council on Family Relations, and The American College Health Association. Her dissertation examined collegiate recovery programs and their promotion of psychosocial development and adjustment.

While in HDFS, Anne served as a Teaching Assistant for research methods and was the instructor of record for Family Interaction Processes. She worked as a Graduate Assistant in Student Health and Wellness -Health Promotion for five years where she led the efforts to implement the UConn Recovery Community (URC), UConn’s collegiate recovery program.

In addition to her work at UConn, Anne has supported the youth recovery movement at the local, state, and national levels. She served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE) as the Northeast Regional Representative and on the Executive Committee as Secretary of the ARHE Board. She is currently serving on the ARHE Advisory Council and Chairs the Accreditation Committee. Anne also serves on the Board of Directors for Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR). Past advocacy efforts include serving as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Connecticut Turning to Youth and Families as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Recovery Schools (ARS). Anne is a founding member of Young People in Recovery (YPR) and served as a member of the steering and advisory committee for the YPR Movement.

Currently, Anne works as a Staff Psychotherapist (LMFT) at Student Health and Wellness – Mental Health (SHaW-MH). As a systemically trained clinician, Anne incorporates contextual and relational factors into her work with students. She plans to continue with her clinical work at SHaW-MH and her research in the field of collegiate recovery.