About

THANK YOU for checking out my “About” page – here’s more than you probably wanted to know. You can also use the links on the Home Page to find out more and access services I offer…here we go…

Ben Carrettin: So, Who Is this Guy?

Well, I’ve been working in the mental health and addiction field since 1992 in a variety of settings including private practice, intensive outpatient programs, partial hospitalization programs and inpatient / residential and medical detox. I completed my undergraduate in Psychology from the University of St Thomas and attended Texas Southern University under a full scholarship for his Masters in Clinical Psychology.

Ben Carrettin: Licenses and Certifications

I’m a fully and independently Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) in the State of Texas, a Nationally Board Certified Counselor (NCC) and Nationally Board Certified Master Addiction Counselor (MAC). I’m also a Certified Anger Resolution Therapist (CART) and have advanced training in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). In 2012, I also completed an intensive, sixteen week, Advanced Lay Chaplaincy for Death and Dying training program in pastoral care with a specialized focus on addressing traumatic grief with the hospitalized, infirm, terminally ill and their loved ones. (and how I got there is an interesting story!)

Ben Carrettin: Professional Organization Involvement

Being an active member of my community and the field is important to me. Over the years, I have been fortunate to serve as an active member of the Texas Society of Clinical Oncology (TxSCO), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) as well as the Texas Society of Addiction Medicine (TSAM). And mixed in and around these, I have been on several other local community and school boards, service groups and task forces within Harris County, Ft Bend County and the greater Houston area. I even got invited to and received advanced training in drug-free stress and pain management for cancer and medical patients as well as seventy-two hours of intensive, advanced training in Positive Recovery (a specialized program blending best practice addiction recovery with neurologically-supported principles of Positive Psychology and epigenetics…sleep? what is that?)

Ben Carrettin – Knowledge and Expertise

Throughout my career it has been a mission of mine to always keep learning and continued to improve. So, I’ve added to my knowledge and expertise through advanced training courses, field application training, specialized training in corporate and legal processes, as well as additional doctoral level coursework.

So, what am I fascinated by? A lot of my interest includes neurology/biology, behavioral cues of deception, positive psychology and epigenetics (gene expression), cancer resilience and organ transplant patients (these in particular are a passion of mine), violence/death in the workplace, neurological and bio-mechanical basis of behavior and Eastern philosophy and the mind. I work quite frequently with emergent/first responders, medical professionals, opiate addiction recovery and am a professional CISM responding to critical incidents in industrial and corporate settings.

In addition to working in mental health, I’ve also worked in behavioral managed care; as both a Federal Accounts Network Manager and as the State Provider Network Manager for Texas. (One of my many duties in these roles included investigating clinical and quality of service complaints made against hospitals, physicians and psychologists. Occasionally, I facilitate private training for clinical practitioners, teaching them how to build and improve their practice, ethical best practices in the workplace, how to work successfully with insurance companies as well as how to navigate social media and ethics. (Imagine that! Who could be confused about in the fast-paced and evolving world of social media and behavioral health ethics?)

Ben Carrettin: Legal and Corporate Services

Beyond my work as a specialist in human behavior, my experience working in the business sector and the field of human behavior, graduate education in Clinical Psychology as well as advanced graduate training in Legal and Ethical Issues in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Advanced Biological Basis of Behavior, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Strategic Management and Pre-Trial Focus Groups have helped me to successfully support business and legal clients with an array of behavioral analysis and solution-oriented services. (but that, is a longer discussion and right now, if you are still reading, I bet you’re tired and wondering if I might have misplaced my ego).

Ben Carrettin is a Nationally Board Certified Counselor (NCC), Nationally Board Certified Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) and Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S). He has been in practice in Houston for over 20 years and is the owner of Practice Improvement Resources, LLC; a private business which offers an array of specialized counseling, evidenced-based clinical consultation, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and targeted ESI-based services to individuals and businesses.