NH Union Leader – May 21, 2025
By MELBOURNE R. MORAN, JR.
MAY IS Mental Health Awareness Month — a time to break the stigma, promote education, and encourage access to care. As our country faces rising rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout, the need for mental health services has never been greater. While awareness campaigns and national organizations play critical roles, one often-overlooked cornerstone of mental wellness is the small-business mental health agency — the local clinics, practices, and providers who are deeply embedded in the communities they serve.
These local mental health agencies are not branches of large corporations. They are local mom and pop counseling shops owned and operated by licensed clinicians who live and work right alongside their clients. These professionals aren’t answering to shareholders or national franchise boards — they’re answering to the needs of their neighbors. That local connection fosters a depth of care and personalization that can be difficult to find in more corporate or commercial health care settings. Small business mental health providers place an unmatched emphasis on relationships.
In these settings, therapy is not treated as a volume-driven business. It’s about building meaningful, trusting connections over time. Clients are not just numbers or time slots; they are individuals with unique stories. These clinicians focus on long-term well-being and continuity of care, which has been consistently shown to improve treatment outcomes.
Unlike larger corporate-owned networks, which often must prioritize administrative benchmarks, profit margins, or franchise fees, independent practices have the flexibility to focus on what matters most: the client. That means tailoring therapy to fit the person, not forcing the person to fit the model.
It means investing time in collaboration, continuing education, and community partnerships, because the success of these small businesses is tied directly to the health and happiness of the community itself. There’s also a practical benefit: Local agencies are more likely to be responsive, adaptive, and accessible. They can quickly respond to changes in community needs, such as offering trauma support after a local crisis or developing new services for underserved populations. And they are often more agile in integrating innovative or holistic treatment approaches without navigating layers of bureaucracy.
Supporting these small providers means investing directly in your community’s well-being. Dollars spent at local mental health agencies are reinvested in the area supporting not just jobs, but also community initiatives, school partnerships, and local health efforts. At a time when mental health infrastructure is strained and underfunded, local practices often fill the gap with limited resources but unlimited dedication. This Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s remember that care begins at home. When we choose to support small, locally owned mental health businesses, we are choosing a model that centers empathy, accessibility, and authenticity over efficiency, profit, and scale. It’s a choice that benefits not only those in therapy but the entire community.
If you or someone you love is seeking care, consider reaching out to a local mom and pop counseling shop. You may find that the most meaningful help comes not from a distant brand name, but from a neighbor who truly understands.
Hon. Melbourne Moran Jr. is CEO of Wanderlust Therapeutic Services, PLLC. He lives in Nashua.