Beacon Center

About Beacon Center

Beacon Center is a private outpatient treatment provider for substance use and mental health disorders, with Herkimer, NY among their nine locations across Central and Western New York. Founded in 1990 by Faith Peterson and certified by both the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and the Office of Mental Health, they start from the belief that addiction and mental illness are highly treatable and that people deserve respectful care delivered at the least disruptive level possible. They serve adolescents and adults through standard outpatient counseling, an intensive outpatient program, an Alternative to Inpatient Program, and methadone-based opioid treatment at their Rome and Utica clinics. In Herkimer, they also run the Albert O. Nichols House, a community reintegration program for men, many of whom arrive experiencing homelessness.

Care begins with a thorough evaluation covering substance use, family life, medical and mental health history, work, school, and legal status, and it may include toxicology monitoring. Medication-assisted treatment is overseen by a clinic physician and pairs counseling with buprenorphine (Suboxone) or monthly Vivitrol injections for opioid use disorder and naltrexone for alcohol use disorder. Specialized tracks address early and continuing recovery, chronic relapse, trauma, and criminal justice involvement, along with dedicated groups for women, men, young adults, adolescents, and families, while the Compass Program treats co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions together. Peer specialists with lived experience offer support at every stage, and adults can also receive mental health counseling and medication management in person or by telehealth, with services available for loved ones affected by a family member’s struggles.