W. Leigh Atherton, PhD, LCMHCS, LCAS, CRC, CCS

Associate Professor and Interim Chair
Director, MS in Clinical Counseling with an emphasis in Addictions Program; Coordinator, Addictions Prevention and Treatment Studies Certificate Program; Interim Director, PhD in Counselor Preparation and Research
athertonw@ecu.edu

William “Leigh” Atherton, PhD, LCMHCS, LCAS, CRC, CCS, Associate Professor in the Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies. His duties include: Director of the MS in Clinical Counseling with an emphasis in Addictions program, Coordinator of the Addictions Prevention and Treatment Studies Certificate program, and teaching various clinical, addictions and rehabilitation counseling related courses.

Dr. Atherton received a BA in Psychology from Clark University, a MA in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine, and a PhD in Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration from East Carolina University. Prior to joining ECU, Dr. Atherton served as Clinical Director of a Critical Access Behavioral Health Agency in Greenville, NC. Dr. Atherton has over 17 years of clinical experience in clinical, addictions, and rehabilitation counseling, and clinical supervision.

Dr. Atherton’s research interests include complementary/integrative counseling approaches (e.g., Animal Assisted Interventions, Biofeedback), training and integration of evidenced-based practices, and clinical supervision. In his down time, Dr. Atherton seeks relaxation through nature walks with his wife, Tracie, and non-human companions (4 dogs, 1 cat, and 5 goats), as well as SCUBA diving and amateur underwater photography.