Therapist/Entrepreneur Finds Way to Solve Shortage of Counselors
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - ncarol.com -- ...Therapist and entrepreneur Jessica Bruno, LMFT, knows that matching counselors with clients is a struggle. While more people than ever are facing mental health issues, the waiting lists are long at counseling practices.

Even those clients with insurance can be left on their own to struggle for weeks and even months while they wait for an appointment. Those without insurance and traditionally underserved populations often go untreated.

At the same time, potential therapists -- young people with a calling to help those struggling with mental health issues –encounter a number of hurdles entering the profession. After rigorous graduate training, they must earn hundreds of clinical hours to receive even a provisional license, then hundreds more to be fully licensed. Universities offer little help, usually leaving the students on their own to find practices willing to offer internships.

So Bruno came up with a solution. She expanded her own practice, House Call Counseling & Healing Arts, to include a number of student interns. She pairs the aspiring therapists with the patients most in need – often those without health insurance or the means to pay for professional counseling on their own.

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Her practice accepts no insurance, instead charging clients on a sliding scale according to their incomes. Many sessions are delivered via telehealth, eliminating the need for overhead like office space. Her therapists work on a contract basis – and her interns have the opportunity to do the same after they have become licensed.

Not having to adhere to the rigid structure of insurance frees up House Call to use interns and to be more creative in how care is delivered.

House Call Named One of Five HEIC Winners

In June, House Call Counseling was one of 5 entrepreneurial companies named winners of the 2nd Annual Health Equity Innovation Challenge (HEIC). The

Challenge, sponsored by Atrium Health- Greater Charlotte North Area and administered by the Flywheel Foundation, targets early-stage businesses focused on addressing health care inequities.

HEIC offers winners a cash investment as well as mentoring and coaching from experts in their fields. Winners also have the opportunity to present to potential investors at ConvergeSouth, an annual 2-day conference for entrepreneurs. Bruno is particularly excited about presenting at this year's conference, which will take place Oct. 3-4 at Wake Forest Biotech Place in Winston-Salem.

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HEIC's strives to provide promising early-stage businesses with the tools they need to grow and become scalable, therefore expanding access to services that improve the mental and physical health of as many people as possible.

"My goal is to significantly scale our program to ensure that everyone who wants mental health counseling is able to access and afford it." Bruno said.

A Natural Entrepreneur

Bruno started her first enterprise...

https://www.housecallcounseling.com/