Susan E. Collins, PhD (she/her)

Dr. Susan Collins brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to her role as co-founder of HaRT3S. As a licensed clinical psychologist in Washington state, she’s dedicated her 25-year career to revolutionizing how we think about and treat substance use.

Her passion for harm reduction treatment started early. At 16, she attended her first 12-step meeting, experiencing firsthand how addiction affects families across generations. This personal connection drives her mission to create treatment options that work for everyone, not just those ready for complete sobriety.

Working alongside community organizations and people who use substances, Dr. Collins has pioneered evidence-based harm reduction strategies that focus on improving quality of life while reducing substance-related harm. Her groundbreaking research has appeared in over 70 peer-reviewed publications, culminating in the authoritative treatment manual “Harm Reduction Treatment for Substance Use” (Hogrefe).

As a researcher, clinician, and person with lived experience, Dr. Collins understands that recovery looks different for everyone. She brings this inclusive perspective to HaRT3S, where she’s helping build a future where effective, judgment-free support is available to all who need it.

When she’s not advancing harm reduction methods in Washington and beyond, Dr. Collins cherishes her roles as a mother, wife, sister, and daughter—roles that continually remind her why this work matters.

For related publications, please see Dr. Collins’s CV. Publications may be found on her Google Scholar page or downloaded from her Researchgate profile.

• United Way of LA
• Neighborcare
• Purpose Dignity Action/CoLEAD
• King County Dept of Behavioral Health
• WA Dept of Social and Health Services
• Moab Regional Hospital

• PubliCola: We Must Support People Who Use Substances, Not Punish Them. Here’s How.
• StatNews: Sobriety is just one pathway to recovery. Harm reduction is another
• Seattle Times: If sobriety isn’t an option, ‘harm reduction’ can work for homeless people with alcoholism, study finds 
• Yahoo News: A fresh approach to treating alcohol use disorder
• Moscow-Pullman Daily News: A fresh approach to treating alcohol use disorder
• National Library of Medicine: Impact of Harm Reduction Treatment with or without Pharmacotherapy on Polysubstance Use among People Experiencing Homelessness and Alcohol Use Disorder