Behavioral Healthcare Reimagined:  A Career Innovator

Dr. Nilda Perez stands at the intersection of innovation and behavioral healthcare. An experienced behavioral healthcare expert, organizational strategist, coach, and licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), Dr. Perez is changing the way the behavioral healthcare industry operates and positioning herself at the forefront of cutting-edge innovations and practices.

Dr. Perez was able to improve her practice and further her professional journey, thanks in part to Regent University’s Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) program. She had never heard of the DSL program before beginning her studies at Regent University in 2008.

“I just wanted to take some business courses,” she explained. At the time, she had a successful practice and was already doing things other LCSWs weren’t, describing herself as “not your average therapist.” She aimed to build on her operational knowledge through Regent’s business program while the Great Recession raged.

After expressing interest in using her coursework to enhance her professional knowledge, she was arranged to interview Dr. Winston, who was the program dean at the time. That conversation culminated in her enrollment in the DSL program.

“It was God,” Dr. Perez recalled. “It was not in my plans at all.”

Her book, The Leadership Shift: The Strategic Positioning of Latino Business Leaders, emphasized the need for Latino business leaders and established a framework for how Latinos can shift into leadership positions using their unique skills and knowledge.

Her chairman, Dr. Bramwell Osula, had a significant impact on her.

“Everyone told me how he was the most difficult chair there. But I like a challenge, so I chose him. He was very instrumental in my work at Regent. He encouraged me to write about the Latino perspective,” she said.

Dr. Perez continued with her practice while in the program, but she didn’t want to start a new career after finishing. Over time, she was able to blend what she learned and create a whole new frame of thought.

“I’m always researching now; I’m always writing now,” she said. “I’ve become a prophet for innovation and for incorporating that into behavioral health. There’s been a huge increase in the need for behavioral health with the political and economic climate. There’s so much going on, and people are living such stressful lives, and they want different methods of coping—they want real-life results.”

For Dr. Perez, the Christian perspective that Regent offered made all the difference.

“I’m not just offering behavioral health and innovation—I’m able to offer a Christian worldview,” she stated.

The DSL program and its focus on strategic foresight were especially useful for helping Dr. Perez put into place a feasible plan to take what she already knew to the next level.

“I didn’t know what to expect going into the program; it was still pretty new. But we had some amazing professors. My big takeaway was that innovation is critical. The DSL helped me to be more creative, innovative, and to be more of a trendsetter. I already had my ‘why’; the DSL became my ‘how’. It helped me to see things differently and to always think innovatively. Innovation isn’t all technology; innovation is how you think.”

Despite attending a few highly prestigious universities, it was her education at Regent that really stood out.

“I think Regent was hands down the best school I ever went to—I loved everything about the DSL program. I think it was the best education I ever got. I feel the program is essential to pretty much anybody, but especially if you’re in behavioral health,” she affirmed, continuing on to state: “It’s all about the thinking. We need to think differently; we need to become trendsetters and collaborate with other disciplines and fields.”

In her practice, Dr. Perez teaches groups and organizations how to successfully become more creative and innovative and how to look at trends and capitalize on them, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which changed a lot of the way behavioral healthcare operates.

She considers herself a futurist, or a thought leader dedicated to advancing a more sustainable, productive future and promoting breakthrough ideas. Her services include consultations, appraisals, workshops, advisory services, and more.

When asked about what’s needed for organizations to be successful in the field today, Dr. Perez stated,

“Fear is the biggest thing holding them back. They need to get rid of the fear, and they need to make the necessary changes to get results. For you to make a difference, you need to begin with yourself.” 

Her passion is what drives the work she does.

“If I’m passionate about something, I always give it 300%. I absolutely love what I do, and I want to do more of it. I want to change the world, and I truly feel that behavioral health pertains to everything. At the end of the day, everything is about us having a healthy balance…I’m always thinking of ways to improve things. It’s the DSL program that taught me how to think that way, and I can’t turn it off.”