He emphasizes that the fee supports both the nonprofit itself and a financial assistance fund that helps clients who cannot afford it. It takes away the tricky financial part,” he says.Īs for the $100 fee, Fugelsang reports some push-back. Open Path “eliminates that problem for people because the rate is more or less established and they know that the therapist will work within that rate. As you might imagine, it’s a very vulnerable thing to have to do,” he says. “What happens for many clients is they need to call around, and ask therapists if they can see them for a certain fee. This information, Fugelsang explains, is crucial.
Profiles indicate therapists’ area of expertise, how long they’ve been in practice, where their office is and, most importantly, whether they are currently accepting Open Path clients. With the growth, popularity and omnipresence of the Internet, he explains, “We can create a place where the website is the reception room” that welcomes people and directs them to a clinician.īefore filling out an application and paying a one-time $100 fee, participants can search the website for Open Path providers in their area. One of the first steps to improving access to mental health providers for the middle class, Fugelsang suggests, starts with a click. And, here,” he says as he pulls up the collective’s website, “people can search online.” A virtual reception Along with the chance to broaden the new nonprofit’s funding opportunities, he envisioned Open Path going national rather than staying local for two reasons: “You can’t cast a wide net with a brick-and-mortar community center or mental health center. “Since I’ve been in practice, it seemed to me that it’s only gotten more challenging for people to have access to not only affordable mental health care but to quality, affordable mental health care,” she says, noting she has been practicing for seven years.īy word of mouth, publishing notes and creating groups on LinkedIn, a popular online network for business professionals, Fugelsang reached out to local therapists.
After hearing his pitch, she was certain about joining the network. Fugelsang told her about his idea for the collective one day over lunch, after they completed a training session. Of the 160 therapists nationwide who have applied to join the collective, 24 of them, like counselor Meghan Doubraski, are from Asheville. “The way we chose the cities was that they had to be a city with a strong middle class, be pro-therapy, which usually translates into a more progressive population, and have a very relatively high therapist-per-capita ratio,” Fugelsang says. In the first year, the nonprofit will target about 150 cities, starting with Asheville, he says. Though he’s only been practicing privately in Asheville for a year, he explains that his vision for the nonprofit follows a five-year plan. Starting local, thinking nationalįugelsang’s eighth-floor office in the Flat Iron building overlooks downtown Asheville, but the mountains can still be seen in the distance. At press time, Fugelsang reports, 160 therapists nationwide have applied. To bridge this gap, Fugelsang issues a challenge to therapists who join Open Path: Take on one client who can receive in-office care at the reduced cost of $30 to $50 per session. 1 deterrent preventing people from seeking mental health care when needed. It’s really out of reach for so many,” he says.Īccording to results from a telephone survey conducted last year by the regional collaborative WNC Healthy Impact, cost or lack of health insurance proved to be the No. “The whole idea of this program is to reach people who are typically middle-class individuals - people who are making too much money to qualify for city or county services, but … who aren’t making enough money pay $100 per week for psychotherapy. Its mission is to make it easier for people to find the counseling they need at a price they can afford, and to reward and encourage counselors to say “yes” to a group Fugelsang says is “falling through the cracks.” To meet both of these challenges, Fugelsang recently launched a national nonprofit, the Open Path Psychotherapy Collective. “It’s heartbreaking, because these are people who have taken the time to pick up the phone and ask for help.” “Once you have your minimum amount that you can afford to see financially, you have to start turning people away,” the Asheville-based therapist shares.
As a private psychotherapist, Paul Fugelsang understands the struggle between saying “yes” to middle-class clients who can’t afford his services and “no” to people in need.
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