When it comes to regulating behavioral health, Arizona is moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. As of Jan. 1, some facilities will be able to provide feedback on the regulations and requirements that apply to them.

That means centers that only offer counseling will able to help the Arizona Department of Health Services create specific rule sets. For example, a center that deals with adolescents will have different needs than one that offers couple’s counseling. Dr. Cara Christ is the chief for the Department of Licensing Services.

Christ said it's important to allow these facilities to develop their own policies and procedures "so that they can use best practices or promising practices."

"They can decide the types of employees and the types of personnel that they need and what the qualifications those employees need to have in order to best suit their patients or their clients," she said.

Christ said patients at counseling-only facilities shouldn’t see a change in care as these regulations change. But she believes the shift should strengthen the state’s behavioral health system as a whole.