Paul Ortman has 18 years of experience as CEO and Founder of the Ben Franklin Institute, which hosted the Summit for Clinical Excellence conferences. The Ben Franklin Institute taught over 30,000 mental health professionals the skills to aid in the treatment of addiction, trauma, eating disorders, and adolescent issues. In 2015 Paul sold the Ben Franklin Institute, and after four years of retirement, he founded Higher Thought Institute.

In 2019, Paul pursued a new endeavor: Higher Thought Institute. He is passionate about inspiring mental health professionals to pursue continuing education through enriching live conferences and online courses. He orchestrates conferences that bring together industry leaders, best-selling authors, and world-renowned trainers with a variety of skills and expertise providing psychologists, social workers and licensed counselors with opportunities to continue education for clinical mastery. Paul values educating mental health professionals through compassion, accessibility, and understanding to ensure they provide their clients with the highest quality of care.

Paul is incredibly family oriented and has three brothers with whom he has a great relationship. Paul is married and a father of two. His son is finishing college at the University of Arizona, and his daughter is a registered nurse. When not traveling, Paul enjoys going hiking, golfing, and planning his next adventure with his wife.

Please feel free to email Paul at: Paul@htilearncom.