In 2015, Barbieri resigned from his office to take an appointed $144,213 position as director of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. The job position was not advertised, and Barbieri and the Democratic Party of Delaware were criticized for cronyism. A special election was held to fill Barbieri's seat, which was won by David Bentz. In July 2017, Barbieri resigned from his director position after a patient at one of the treatment centers he oversaw died of neglect. Barbieri was also under scrutiny due to child sexual abuse allegations against a worker at an outpatient treatment facility he owned at the time of the abuse.
Barbieri earned his BA in sociology from the University of Delaware, his MSW from Temple University, and his PhD from the University of Delaware.

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