Our Mission, Values & Leadership
Who We Are
Steven A. Estrine, Ph.D.
Founder and President, SAE Behavioral Health Consulting
Steven A. Estrine, Ph.D.
Founder and President, SAE Behavioral Health Consulting
Dr. Steven A. Estrine founded SAE Behavioral Health Consulting (SAE BHC) in 2003, following a storied career as a senior director at the New York City Regional Office of The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), spanning nearly two decades. During this time, he collaborated with officials at the NYS Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services to help create an effective program to address the problem of co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, which led to the creation of the CPEP initiative. This provided emergency rooms with a protocol to differentiate between drug abuse and mental illness. He also developed a Brooklyn-based, federally funded community program to help elderly women who were survivors of the holocaust address their trauma. Additionally, he created a unique approach for women with drug abuse issues who were incarcerated at a NYS correctional facility that significantly reduced recidivism rates by reuniting them with their children in supportive housing with wraparound services.
After leaving the public sector, Dr. Estrine assumed leadership roles in the behavioral health division at North- Shore-Long-Island Jewish Health System and, later, the New York Presbyterian Hospital System, as Director of Public Sector Psychiatry.
Shortly after officially retiring from his hospital commitments and based on his extensive experience as a SAMHSA grant reviewer, he was approached by several of the non-profit agencies, requesting guidance in developing their grant proposals.
He assembled a team of experienced grant writers to assist with federal funding applications. He also brought in a group of expert evaluators, who additionally carried secondary professional capabilities, such as holding degrees in business, community health and/or public health.
Over the years, the collective contributions of the team have resulted in nearly $480 million in federal, state, and local grants for dozens of behavioral health agencies throughout the U.S., while concurrently delivering improved efficiencies to their operations.
Dr. Estrine’s passion for helping people struggling with behavioral health issues is evident in all of SAE BHC’s targeted efforts. He continues to help build teams of dedicated and knowledgeable experts to meet the ever-changing demands of the current and future behavioral health environments.
About SAE
We believe every grant, data point, and program evaluation report tells a deeper story—the story of a provider agency doing whatever it takes to care for its most vulnerable populations. Our frontline service teams do the work that few see, but many depend on.
Our service teams help you navigate workforce issues, regulatory shifts, and the complexity of multi-stream funding—while trying to diminish the impact of limited state and federal resources and shifting government regulations.
At SAE Behavioral Health Consulting, our job is to make sure that your story gets told—and funded. With over $480 million secured in federal, state, and local grants, SAE is a national force in behavioral health consulting.
We specialize in program development, grant acquisition, parity and compliance strategy, performance evaluation, and revenue cycle sustainability, equipping mental health and substance use recovery providers with the tools to grow, stabilize, and scale their services to the current healthcare environment.
We work across the lifespan — supporting services for children, families, veterans, justice-involved individuals, people experiencing homelessness, those facing co-occurring mental health and substance use challenges, and individuals and families facing the mental and physical challenges of aging.
Our multidisciplinary expertise spans grant funding acquisition, fiscal and operational sustainability, strategic program development, performance evaluation, licensing, and comprehensive revenue cycle management — all supporting infrastructure development that is measurable, compliant, and scalable.
Our integrated team-based model allows us to work with organizations of all sizes—urban to rural, community-based to state-supported—delivering a client-centered, evidence-informed, and impact-focused approach that strengthens internal capacity, improves operational effectiveness, and drives long-term sustainability.
SAE’s work is more than consulting. It’s our commitment.
We are SAE. Let’s build stronger systems…together
SAE (the business) was incorporated as SAE & Associates, LLC in September of 2005. Today, SAE embraces our identity as SAE Behavioral Health Consulting, DBA (SAE BHC).
Our Mission
To Help Behavioral Health Providers Increase Resources & Operational Efficiency On Behalf Of the Populations They Serve
We Recognize
Times of crisis create dangers, but also provide opportunities for innovation and change
Systems – organizations, communities, public agencies – do best when they view themselves as part of a System of Care
More can be accomplished when stakeholders come together around a common agenda to create long-term solutions. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”
There are no cookie-cutter problems and no cookie-cutter solutions
We Value
Systems focused change along a continuum from the individual, family, organization, community, and public sector
Provider-driven needs assessments and solutions
Data-driven strategies with measurable outcomes using evidence-based practices
Inclusion of community stakeholders and indigenous leaders in the identification of challenges and the development of feasible and sustainable solutions, “Nothing About Us Without Us”
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SAE Behavioral Health Consulting enhances provider service provision that is integrated, accessible, data-driven, and person-centered.
