Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners

The Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (Board) regulates the practice of behavioral health professionals by licensing counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, and substance abuse counselors, and by investigating allegations of unprofessional conduct and ordering appropriate discipline. The Board has had problems with handling complaints in a timely manner caused by delays in beginning substantial investigative work, conducting investigations of complaints that did not allege violations of board statutes or rules, and duplicating reviews of cases proposed for dismissal. As a result, the majority of cases closed in 2010 and 2011 were resolved more than 180 days after they were received. Although the Board has taken steps to resolve the timeliness issues, more needs to be done. Specifically, the Board should continue implementing newly established processes for screening out complaints that do not need to be opened for investigation, allow its credentialing committees to dismiss more complaints, and conduct analyses to determine its investigative staffing needs.