Lynchburg, Virginia-based Thriveworks has opened new youth mental health services in 18 sites across 12 states.
The new offering, called TherapyLand, will provide services to children ages 12 and younger for developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, parental divorce, grief and loss, defiance and bullying, among others.
TherapyLand is being rolled out as a pilot program and largely couches care in terms of play therapy and counseling, according to a news release.
“We knew the need was urgent and realized the behavioral health models that are effective on adults don’t translate for kids,” Will Furness, CEO of Thriveworks, said in the release. “We sought out a unique solution that challenged the status quo, and focused on play to address children’s unique needs with the environment, the tools and modalities they would be most responsive to.”
Thriveworks is one of the largest and fastest-growing outpatient mental health providers in the U.S.
Founded in 2008, Thriveworks lists 375 locations in 36 states on its website. The company raised $340 million in 2021. Some of its investors include Wellington Management Co. LLP and Regal Healthcare Capital Partners.
The company offered play therapy before the TherapyLand pilot. This move invests more into the offering and dedicates space in clinics to the practice, a spokesperson told Behavioral Health Business in an email.
The pilot will run in Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
Thriveworks’ key goals, Furness told BHB in a previous interview, revolve around focusing the company on patient-reported outcomes and the provider experience. The company’s other major investments have been in technology to enable both those objectives, which include operating in a hybrid model.
In June, Thriveworks was in the process of rolling out a digital booking and intake management system, along with other custom tools for its providers.
This move to invest in digital patient intake and other provider tools has also been seen in the largest outpatient mental health provider in the U.S.: Scottsdale, Arizona-based LifeStance Health Group Inc. (NYSE: LFST).
Ultimately, Thriveworks hopes to expand the pilot into additional states moving forward.
“We are focused on hiring the best child and adolescent therapists across these 18 locations, intending to expand the pilot program further in the near future,” Furness noted.