Who we are
We are a group of female therapy practice owners in the Philadelphia area who are passionate about protecting local businesses and preserving the integrity of our profession.
Over the past several years, we formed a small support network as practice owners navigating the rapidly changing mental health landscape. Through regular conversations, we realized we shared a deeper concern: the growing influence of venture-backed “big tech” therapy companies and the impact they are having on independent therapists and community-based practices.
From those conversations, a shared mission emerged — to help protect the future of local therapy practices and ensure that people can continue to find care within their own communities.
The founding members of this effort include:
Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT — therapist, author, and founder of A Better Life Therapy.
Amanda White, LPC — therapist, author, and founder of Therapy for Women.
Emmalee Bierly, LMFT and Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT — therapists, podcast hosts, and founders of The Therapy Group.
Together, we believe that independent therapists and local practices are essential to the mental health ecosystem—and that by working collaboratively, we can strengthen and protect the profession we care deeply about.
Over the past several years, large venture-backed therapy companies have dramatically changed how people find mental health care.
Using investor funding, these companies spend enormous amounts of money on advertising—dominating Google search results, therapy directories, and social media. Many well-known “therapy profile” sites are now filled with profiles from these large platforms rather than therapists who actually work in local communities.
As a result, it has become increasingly difficult for people to find therapists who practice independently or within local group practices.
In some cases, marketing tactics have gone even further…ranging from aggressive digital advertising to coordinated efforts in local online communities promoting these companies as the primary option for therapy.
If your practice already had strong search visibility before this shift, you may have managed to maintain your presence. However, newer practices are especially struggling to gain visibility, and even long-established practices are beginning to see their search rankings pushed down as advertising budgets continue to grow.
For many therapists, the only way to compete has become increasing their own ad spend—during a time when operating costs for small practices are rising across the board.
Why We Created This
We believe people deserve to easily find therapists who are truly part of their local communities.
That’s why we are building a platform dedicated exclusively to independent and locally owned therapy practices. Every practice featured will be vetted to ensure they are legitimate, community-based providers.
Rather than competing against each other for visibility, this project allows local practices to work together to improve access to community-based care.
Through collective effort, we will promote these practices through:
A centralized website featuring vetted local practices
Digital advertising campaigns
Community-based visibility, including billboards, transit ads, and other public placements
A Different Model
This project is not backed by venture capital.
It is built on a simple idea: local therapists supporting one another.
By working together and pooling resources, practices can reduce their reliance on expensive advertising while helping people find care within their own communities.
Join the Effort
If you are interested in participating in this initiative and helping build a network that supports independent practices, we invite you to complete the form by clicking the button below. We will follow up as the project develops.
If you simply believe in preserving independent therapy practices, we encourage you to share this effort with others in the field.
Because the future of our profession should belong to the people doing the work—not private equity.