SMIHA Rebrands as OMNA Institute, Launches One of Virginia's First Associate Degrees in Behavioral Health Technology
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SMIHA Rebrands as OMNA Institute, Launches One of Virginia's First
Associate Degrees in Behavioral Health Technology
Fully online with in-person externship, statewide 60-credit program targets Virginia's newly created
Behavioral Health Technician credential; first cohort set for Oct. 5, 2026, pending accreditor approval
LYNCHBURG, Va., Aug. 3, 2026 — SMIHA, the private career college that has trained
Lynchburg-area professionals for over 16 years, announced today it has rebranded as OMNA Institute
and will launch one of Virginia's first Associate of Applied Science degree programs in Behavioral
Health Technology. The college's new website is now live at omna.edu, and the program's first cohort
is scheduled to begin Oct. 5, 2026, pending accreditor approval.
The launch answers a documented statewide need. More than 2.6 million Virginians live in federally
designated mental health professional shortage areas, and those areas have less than a quarter — 22.4%
— of the psychiatric capacity needed to serve them, according to Health Resources and Services
Administration data compiled by KFF as of Dec. 31, 2025.
The 60-credit degree is designed for statewide reach: every course is delivered fully online, with the
exception of a required 180-hour, in-person externship completed at a behavioral health provider. The
program has been approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. OMNA Institute's
application for accreditation with the Council on Occupational Education is pending; the institute's
October start date is contingent on accreditor approval.
The degree is built for one of Virginia's newest officially recognized health care roles. In 2024, the
Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 403, a new law establishing the Behavioral Health
Technician as an official credentialed role in the commonwealth; registration through the Virginia
Board of Counseling opened in May 2025. An associate degree is required for the credential, creating a
defined educational pathway into the behavioral health workforce for the first time at this level in the
commonwealth. Behavioral health technicians provide direct, supervised support to patients in diverse
settings, including but not limited to community service boards, residential facilities, schools, and
applied behavior analysis practices.
“With Virginia establishing a new behavioral health profession to address the critical shortage of
support services and a workforce, the responsibility now falls on us to provide the high-quality training
required for the professionals who will fill these roles,” said Jonathan Melloul, CEO of OMNA
Institute. “We’ve spent 16 years mastering hands-on career training, and today we’re applying that
expertise to one of the most critical workforce challenges of our time: the behavioral health crisis. With
OMNA Institute, we are committed to building the workforce Virginia needs to thrive.”
Students will complete their externships with partner employers across the state, beginning with Bright
Achievements, a provider of applied behavior analysis services and the program's first externship
partner. OMNA Institute is actively building additional employer partnerships so graduates enter the
field with supervised, real-world clinical experience already on their resumes. Prospective students
anywhere in Virginia can find admissions information at omna.edu.
About OMNA Institute
OMNA Institute, formerly SMIHA, is a nationally accredited private career college founded in
Lynchburg, Virginia, 16 years ago. The institute offers career-focused training in Cosmetology,
Barbering, Esthetics, Master Esthetics and Massage Therapy, and now an Associate of Applied Science
in Behavioral Health Technology, approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
Learn more at omna.edu.
Media Contact: Jonathan Melloul, CEO — jonathan@omna.edu — 202-368-6225 — omna.edu
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