Miami Albizu University Professor Shows Aspiring Mental Health Sole Practitioners the Ropes
With the recently enacted American Rescue Plan Act allocating billions in funding to boost mental health programs and train the behavioral health workforce that will be needed to staff them, those contemplating a new career as a mental health practitioner may also be evaluating the merits of starting their own professional counseling practice.
On April 14, 2021, Albizu University Associate Professor Samantha Behbahani, PsyD, M.S. will join the American Psychological Association (APA) for a one-hour Continuing Education-eligible forum on how to do just that—start and run your own clinical psychology or mental health counseling practice.
Part of a series entitled “Building and Sustaining a Thriving Private Practice: From Start to Finish,” the April 14 edition featuring Dr. Behbahani will focus on clinical and administrative management, staffing and outsourcing. The April 14 course, like each edition in the 10-part series, is open to the public with a cost of $40 per session or $300 for the full series. APA members are eligible for a discount.
“Providing mental health services in today’s healthcare environment is complex given insurance and regulatory requirements, coupled with the impact of technology—not to mention COVID-19,” Dr. Behbahani explained. “Mental health professionals cannot simply have a ‘cottage industry’ where they see patients, collect a fee and write a brief note in a paper record.”
Those attending the April 14 forum will learn best practices for administrative and clinical staff development to assure for compliance with legal, regulatory and ethical mental health industry standards, as well as how to address considerations required for engaging outsourced administrative services.
Dr. Behbahani will present on April 14 together with Dave Verhaggen, PhD, ABPP of Nashville, Tennessee. The event is hosted by The Practice Institute’s Jeff Zimmerman, PhD, ABPP
To register for the April 14 event or the entire series, click here.
About Samantha Behbahani, PsyD
Albizu University Professor Dr. Samantha Behbahani is a licensed clinical psychologist who received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology and post-doctoral master’s in clinical psychopharmacology from Nova Southeastern University. Subsequently, she completed her internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in the field of medical psychology and postdoctoral fellowship at University of Miami within the Department of Cardiology. Dr. Behbahani has maintained faculty appointments at the University of Miami Hospital and Jackson Memorial Hospital, and she is currently an Associate Professor in the doctoral program at Albizu University, where she serves as the Health Psychology concentration coordinator.
Dr. Behbahani has maintained a successful private practice in Miami for 11 years. In regard to therapy, Dr. Behbahani specializes within a number of arenas, including individual psychotherapy, couples therapy, and assessments. She is able to work with many different disorders, including mood, anxiety, pain management, chronic illness, interpersonal issues, stress management, and family conflict. She has conducted assessments in cognitive ability, personality functioning, and surgical clearance, and is a strong believer in a collaborative therapeutic relationship.
About Albizu University
Proud of its roots and commitment to excellence in program offerings, Albizu University is a private, non-profit institution of higher learning with campuses in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Miami, Florida, and a University Center in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It was the only regionally accredited secular University in the continental United States named in honor of a Hispanic, the distinguished Puerto Rican psychologist Dr. Carlos Albizu-Miranda. To date, over 9,000 graduates call Albizu University their Alma Mater—a university that prides itself on educating culturally competent individuals capable of serving the diverse populations of our global community.
Albizu University offers undergraduate and graduate programs in psychology, education, speech-language pathology, human services, and criminal justice, as well as an ESOL program, taught by a diverse, expert faculty. Albizu’s enrollment in its two campuses and the University Center of Mayagüez is over 2,000 students representing 65 countries. The University thrives in a modern facility in Miami, the main campus in the heart of Old San Juan, and the University Center of Mayagüez. Albizu University’s Miami Campus was recently recognized as the top institution for Best Online Master’s in Organizational Psychology Programs 2020 by BestColleges.com. For more information, visit albizu.edu.
