Dr. Douglas Sanders recognized for exemplary service

Dr. Douglas Sanders, longtime SUNY Orange psychology professor and mental health clinician, was honored with the Frank W. Masterson Distinguished Services Award during a ceremony held in November at the Country Club at Otterkill in Campbell Hall. Presented by the Orange County Department of Mental Health, Garnet Health and the Mental Health Association in Orange County, the award recognizes exemplary service to the county’s system of care.

“I am very honored to receive this award, and have incredible gratitude to my family, colleagues, clients, and students - all of whom have taught me so much ... I just try to pass that wisdom along,” Sanders said.

For more than 20 years, Sanders has taught in SUNY Orange’s Behavioral Sciences Department while also serving as a licensed clinical psychologist at the Rockland Psychiatric Center Middletown Campus and the Middletown Mental Health Clinic. With more than 27 years at Rockland Psychiatric Center Middletown Campus, he provides individual and group psychotherapy with a focus on motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy. He also coordinates the Cognitive Remediation program, which supports cognitive rehabilitation and cognitive health for individuals with severe mental illnesses. His clinical and didactic instruction has extended to SUNY Orange nursing students during their behavioral health rotations.

Sanders has spent more than three decades strengthening Orange County’s system of care. His leadership has supported wellness and recovery initiatives, advanced innovative intervention methods and contributed significantly to fields such as geriatric psychiatry and disaster mental health. He has also been an important advocate for the development of SUNY Orange’s Human Services Program and has helped educate many of the mental health professionals currently serving the region.

Earlier in his career, he worked at Crystal Run Village supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This past year, he applied that experience to train direct support professionals through the SUNY Orange Microcredential Program. Over the course of his career, he has served hundreds of clients and families with complex needs and has mentored many students who now work throughout the mental health field.