Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Amy Smith-Barnes and Meg McLeroy, LMFT.
Hi Dr. Amy Smith-Barnes and Meg McLeroy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Amy and I met in 2004 when we worked together at Atlanta Center for Eating Disorders. We’d share a quick sack lunch together in between our client and group sessions and found we had much in common including both growing up in the South and having fathers’ who were entrepreneurs. One day, after attending a continuing education program together, one of us said something about opening a private practice together closer to “home” which was Virginia Highland and Midtown, respectively.
So 15 years ago, we set out to find a space in Midtown ATL and started Midtown Psychotherapy Associates in the historic Brookwood Exchange Building on Peachtree Street. We added one additional therapist to rent the spare office and engaged with a “Post Doc” (Psychologist candidate) as a supervisee. Over the next 10 years, our practice grew to include 16 clinicians, resulting in outgrowing our space. We signed a lease on a new and larger space that is located on the Armour-Ottley loop for our growing business We chose this location because we wanted an experience for our clients that was not traditionally “clinical,” was convenient, close to our old office and offered free parking. We made our move in September 2020 during the height of the pandemic, feeling uncertain about the bigger space since therapists were working from home and clients were primarily doing virtual sessions.
However, the pandemic triggered unprecedented demand for mental health support and once people came out of the worst of the isolation, we began to grow into our new offices. Over the last four years, our practice has grown to over 45 therapists including both licensed and pre-licensed clinicians. Our community today includes a broad range of therapists (Ph.D., Psy.D., LMFT, LCSW and LPC) offering a variety of specialities for all ages and presenting concerns.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The pandemic definitely changed the way therapists practice. The abrupt shift of mostly in person services to virtual services was one of the biggest challenges we faced in terms of managing new technologies and adapting the way we worked with our clients. Today, we have returned to in person sessions alongside virtual services which has increased accessibility and convenience for many clients. Most of our therapists work a “hybrid” model offering both types of sessions. This resulted in less demand for days in the office which allowed us to grow our community. As business owners, we needed to determine how to be good stewards of the space and maximize usage despite the fact that most therapists needed an office less than before.
The pace of growth (doubling the number of community members in less than 2 years) presented many operational and logistical challenges. We had to look closely at our business processes and systems, policies and procedures and make sure that we created the structure to support a growing community. We have also focused and refined our brand around the idea of innovation and clinical excellence. A large part of our efforts is dedicated to the supervision of new clinicians who are seeking licensure and desire to learn the business side of therapy too.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Midtown Psychotherapy Associates?
Formed in 2009 by Dr. Amy Smith-Barnes and Meg McLeroy, LMFT, Midtown Psychotherapy Associates is a diverse community of clinicians from all disciplines; Psychologists, Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Professional Counselors and Licensed Clinical Social Workers. We are a collaborative community of providers made up of independent practitioners. In addition, we have developed a robust program of training and development for pre-licensed professionals which allows us to offer services to the community that are excellent value for cost.
Each clinician at MPA has a bio page on our website detailing their licensure status, specialties, locations of practice and contact information. If clients have an idea about who they would like to work with, they may contact any clinician directly. If clients prefer to be matched, we offer an initial intake assessment and matching service as well.
We created Midtown Psychotherapy to offer a wide variety of therapeutic choices for our clients in a welcoming and secure environment of inclusion and compassion. The clinicians and collective community at Midtown Psychotherapy Associates are wholly committed to the open acceptance of all individuals as well as their pursuit of wellness regardless of location along the spectrum of identity. We work persistently and intentionally to foster an environment conducive to emotional and social development which means it must also be a welcoming environment respectful of the diversity of backgrounds and appreciative of the richness in variety of perspectives.
WHAT SETS US APART
Therapists with various specialties are housed in one place, under one roof
Collaboration with each other to support treatment plan and goals
Innovative and creative interventions
Our spacious and gracious environment is therapeutic in and of itself
Broad network of resources and referrals to meet a wide variety of needs
All of the Midtown Psychotherapy therapists are committed to ongoing training and development
What matters most to you? Why?
We advocate and support clinicians who desire to be entrepreneurs in private practice and operate independently and also value fostering a strong sense of cooperation, collaboration, and community.
Our community has identified the following shared values that guide our practice:
Clinical Excellence
Collaboration
Authenticity
Entrepreneurship
Professionalism
Collegial relationships
Diversity and Inclusion
Welcoming Atmosphere
Professional development
Integrity
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.midtownpsychotherapy.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midtownpsychotherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Midtown-Psychotherapy-Associates-100063819180086/
Image Credits
Retta Stephens Phillips, Photographer
