John Francis Kelly, PhD

Associate in Psychology
Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School

617-643-1980

Accepting New Patients

Overview

Departments

Psychiatry

Clinical Interests

Mutual-help and evidence-based practice evaluation
Reduction of stigma
Addiction treatment and recovery

Medical Education

PhD, UC San Diego
Fellowship, Butler Hospital/Brown University

Locations

Boston: Massachusetts General Hospital

Insurances Accepted

Aetna Health Inc.
Beech Street
Blue Cross Blue Shield - Blue Care 65
Blue Cross Blue Shield - Indemnity
Blue Cross Blue Shield - Managed Care
Blue Cross Blue Shield - Partners Plus
BMC HealthNet Mass Health MCO/ACO
Cigna Behavioral Health
Commonwealth Care Alliance
Great-West Healthcare (formally One Health Plan)
Health Care Value Management (HCVM)
Humana/Choice Care PPO
MassHealth
Medicare
Medicare - ACD
OSW - Maine
OSW - New Hampshire
Private Health Care Systems (PHCS)
TriCare
Tufts Health Plan
Unicare
United Behavioral Health
United Behavioral Health - MGH
Well Sense Pediatrics

Note: This provider may accept more insurance plans than shown; please call the practice to find out if your plan is accepted.

Patient Age Group

Adult

Provider Gender

Male

Biography

Dr. Kelly is the Elizabeth R. Spallin Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School-the first endowed professor in addiction medicine at Harvard. He is also the founder and Director of the Recovery Research Institute at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Program Director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service (ARMS) and the Associate Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at MGH.

Dr. Kelly is a former President of the American Psychological Association (APA) Society of Addiction Psychology, and is also a Fellow of the APA and a diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has served as a consultant to U.S. federal agencies and non-Federal institutions, and foreign governments. His clinical and research work has focused on addiction treatment and the recovery process, mechanisms of behavior change, and in reducing stigma and discrimination among individuals suffering from addiction.

Dr. Kelly has been awarded a Patient?s Choice Winner by Opencare as Best of 2016 - Psychologists in Boston, MA

News & Events

More people in recovery from substance use problems are quitting smoking than ever before

A study from the Massachusetts General Hospital Recovery Research Institute finds that people who entered recovery from drug or alcohol use problems in the past 10 years have quit smoking in greater numbers than their cohorts in the 1980s and 90s.
Almost half of those who report resolving a problem with drugs or alcohol do so without assistance

A study from the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital has estimated, for the first time, the number of Americans who have overcome serious problems with the use of alcohol or other drugs.
Incorporating 12-step program elements improves substance-use disorder treatment in adolescents

A treatment program for adolescents with substance-use disorder that incorporates the practices and philosophy of 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous produced even better results than the current state-of-the art treatment approach in a nine-month, randomized trial.
Residential treatment may be first-line option for opioid-dependent young adults

An MGH study has found that a month-long, 12-step-based residential program linked to community-based follow-up care, enabled almost 30 percent of opioid-dependent participants to remain abstinent a year later. Previous research revealed that 83 percent of those who entered an office-based opioid treatment program had dropped out a year later.
Cannabis withdrawal symptoms common among adolescents treated for substance use disorder

Although cannabis – commonly known as marijuana – is broadly believed to be nonaddictive, a study by MGH investigators found that 40 percent of cannabis-using adolescents receiving outpatient treatment for substance use disorder experienced symptoms of withdrawal, which are considered a hallmark of drug dependence.
Kelly first incumbent to Spallin Professorship

John F. Kelly, PhD, associate director of the MGH Center for Addiction Medicine and program director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service, has been named as the inaugural incumbent of the Elizabeth R. Spallin Professorship in Psychiatry in the Field of Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Women and men appear to benefit in different ways from AA participation

A new study finds differences in how participation in Alcoholics Anonymous helps men and women maintain sobriety. For men, avoiding companions and situations that encourage drinking had more powerful effects, while increased confidence in the ability to avoid drinking in response to feelings of sadness or depression was more important for women.
Adolescents can benefit from 12-step involvement

An assessment of 12-step meetings and recommended activities has found that attendance, participation, and finding a sponsor promote greater abstinence among adolescents.
Social contacts, self-confidence crucial to successful recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous

Among the many ways that participation in Alcoholics Anonymous helps its members stay sober, two appear to be most important – spending more time with individuals who support efforts towards sobriety and increased confidence in the ability to maintain abstinence in social situations.
The effects of spirituality in Alcoholics Anonymous on alcohol dependence

A new study shows that, as attendance at AA meetings increases, so do the participants' spiritual beliefs, especially in those individuals who had low spirituality at the beginning of the study.
Attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings may reduce depression symptoms

One of many reasons that attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings helps people with alcohol use disorders stay sober appears to be alleviation of depression. A team of researchers has found that study participants who attended AA meetings more frequently had fewer symptoms of depression – along with less drinking – than did those with less AA participation.
Words used to describe substance-use patients can alter attitudes, contribute to stigma

Changing the words used to describe someone struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction may significantly alter the attitudes of health care professionals, even those who specialize in addiction treatment.

Multimedia

Dr. John Kelly at Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Coalition

Dr. John Kelly discusses prescription drug abuse prevention at a seminar run by the Norfolk County Prevention Coalition
How does addiction function differently in young people?

Addiction in young people
Why do adolescents act impulsively?

John Kelly discusses why adolescents act impulsively.

Contact

Center for Addiction Medicine
151 Merrimac Street 6th floor
Boston, MA 02114-4714
Phone: 617-643-1980
Fax: 617-643-7667

Dr. John Kelly at Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Coalition

How does addiction function differently in young people?

Why do adolescents act impulsively?