About Ben

Who Is Ben Carrettin?

Ben Carrettin is the owner of Practice Improvement Resources, LLC under which he founded and built two initiatives: Live Better Live Now and Texas Recovery Support. He has served as a founding board member with Greater Houston Area Treatment Providers / GHATP (the largest independent behavioral collaborative organization in Houston). Ben has also served as an active member of Houston Group Psychotherapy Society (HGPS) and is the founder of a unique human behavior consultative service for business and law; called ESI; Executive Social Intelligence.

Ben Carrettin has been working in the mental health and addiction field since 1992. He has worked in a variety of settings including private practice, private and grant-funded intensive outpatient programs, partial hospitalization programs and full inpatient hospitalization. Ben earned his 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

Ben Carrettin is 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). He advanced professional training in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). In 2012, Ben 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.

Ben Carrettin: Professional Organization Involvement

He has also served 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). Ben has also served on several other local community boards, service groups and task forces within Harris County, Ft Bend County and the greater Houston area. Additionally, Ben has completed advanced training in drug-free stress and pain management for medical patients. As well as over seventy-two hours of advanced training in Positive Recovery. (a specialized program blending best practice addiction recovery with neurologically-supported principles of Positive Psychology and epigenetics).

Ben Carrettin – Knowledge and Expertise

Throughout his career Ben has continued to improve his knowledge and expertise through advanced training courses, field application training and specialized training in corporate and legal processes. The areas of his focus include neurology/biology, behavioral cues of deception, positive psychology and epigenetics (gene expression), cancer resilience, organ transplant patients, transplant oncology, Parkinson’s, violence/death in the workplace, neurological and bio-mechanical basis of behavior and Eastern philosophy and the mind. He is also an active professional consultant for critical incidents in industrial and corporate settings, emergent/first responders and traumatic events, opiate addiction recovery and more. Ben has led clinical teams, served as Program Director, Clinical Director, Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) for medical detox hospitals and residential treatment centers. He is a dynamic and engaging national presenter and a professional clinical trainer in the area of social media and ethics for behavioral healthcare providers. Ben also has post-grad training in Strategic Management, Human Resources and Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

In addition to working in mental health, Ben has worked in behavioral managed care; as both a Federal Network Manager and a the State Network Manager for Texas. One of his many duties included investigating concerns regarding hospital, physician and clinician quality of service. He also investigated adherence to best practice guidelines as well as both business and clinical ethics issues of contracted hospitals, physicians and clinicians. He is keenly aware of current best practices in the field of counseling as well as up-to-date, proven techniques to increase successful outcomes for his private clients. Ben gives private training workshops for clinical practitioners, teaching them how to build and improve their practice and work more successfully with insurance companies.

Ben Carrettin: Legal and Corporate Services

Beyond the more commonly known field applications for a specialist in human behavior, Ben Carrettin provides behavioral analysis and solution-oriented services for business and law. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), Human Resource (HR) professionals, Legal Teams and Business Leadership can access special services. Special services include  Jury Selection/Voir Dire Consultative Services, New Hire/Employee Assessment, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills for Leadership. Other services include Deposition Video Analysis, Clinical Assessment / Resource Identification and Workforce Transition Coaching.

Ben’s own experience working in the business sector and the field of human behavior, his 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 him to successfully support clients across a much wider array of industries.

In his private practice, Ben provides individual, couples and family counseling and consulting services. Specialty areas include: cancer patients, Parkinson’s patients, organ transplant patients, chronic illness patients and their families, peace officers/fire and rescue, other emergency response and healthcare professionals and rig and refinery workers (traumatic events), professionals in addiction recovery (drug and alcohol), complicated anxiety/fear, grief and bereavement, survivors of suicide (SOS), death/dying and life transition.

Ben Carrettin: MISC

He’s a husband, father of two, active in his field and community. He loves soccer, most any kind of music, Olympic games, learning about cultures, religions, art and philosophy. Ben is fascinated by epigenetics, micro-expressions and behavioral economics. He loves dogs, the outdoors, community events, festivals and holiday gatherings. Ben is also a “You’re-Safe-With-Me Dad”, a big fan of the arts, live theater, music and performance, a gastronomic traveler and a children’s books author.

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.