Addiction Treatment Staff

Melanie Amir

Director of Outpatient Services

Melanie Amir is the Director of the Outpatient Department at Washburn House. She has been the director of several other programs before coming to Washburn House, including Marlborough Hospital Partial Hospital Program, Motivating Youth Recovery of Community Healthlink, and Highland Grace House of Community Healthlink, at which she was the founding Program Director in 2005 and spent 10 years dedicated to serving adolescent girls with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues. While at Highland Grace House, Melanie received a Special Recognition Award from Mental Health and Substance Abuse Corporations of Massachusetts for dedication and commitment to serving this population.

Melanie has given substance use lectures since 1995, centering around family education, helping people understand how to navigate conversations with their family members. She’s given numerous lectures regarding substance use and dual-diagnosis treatment.

During her many years serving adolescents and adults with co-occurring diagnoses, Melanie has mentored and guided many of her staff members to pursue degrees and become leaders in the field of substance use treatment. She’s also had the privilege of teaching and training Occupational Therapy students in the field of addiction and mental health treatment. Melanie has had special training in Solution Focused Brief Therapy and has taught classes and in-services utilizing this intervention.

Since 2011, Melanie has partnered with her Service Dog, JC, to serve and assist in treatment. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare from University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University. She is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

Washburn House is an exciting place to work, and Melanie is looking forward to continuing to serve this population in the Outpatient Department.

Justin LaPorte

Recovery Coach, Alumni Coordinator

Justin LaPorte joined the Washburn House team in November 2021 as a recovery coach and alumni coordinator. After his first year in recovery, he became a recovery coach and worked with a homeless outreach program for two years. As a person in long-term recovery, he’s devoted to helping those experiencing addiction eliminate barriers to care and empower them to receive the care they need in their recovery journeys. Justin is also on the board of directors of the nonprofit The Mass Ave Project Inc.

In his role at Washburn, he loves helping alumni create connections and build a support team to help them sustain their recovery. He has seen firsthand how essential aftercare is to create and build the connections for each individual’s pathway of encouragement, development and accountability. He’s excited to help you find support, connection and a safe space to grow.