As venture capital has poured into mental health care in the past few years, some of the companies that provide critical services to therapists have been acquired by larger corporations. Others have taken on new investors. Corporate ownership or investment isn’t inherently either good or bad, of course. Larger corporations often have more resources to devote to their products and services, while private ownership can give companies more flexibility. Here’s a list of who owns what, derived from company web sites and public documents in April 2023.
Naturally, ownership and management situations can change quickly. So if you’re planning to make purchasing or other decisions based on the information here… don’t. You should independently verify that the information is current and accurate. If you’re curious about how the ownership structure impacts the product or service you’re looking into, contact the relevant companies directly.
EHRs
Who owns SimplePractice? SimplePractice is owned by EngageSmart, which runs several brands dedicated to billing solutions across industries. In addition to SimplePractice, EngageSmart owns DonorDrive, InvoiceCloud, and HealthPay24. EngageSmart is a publicly traded company, selling shares on the NYSE under the symbol ESMT. (See disclosure at the bottom of this post.)
Who owns TherapyNotes? TherapyNotes is privately owned.
Who owns TheraNest? TheraNest is owned by Therapy Brands, which operates several products related to records, billing, and data in behavioral health care. In addition to TheraNest, Therapy Brands operates systems under the brand names WebABA, Theralink, Catalyst, AccuPoint, MyClientsPlus, Fusion, Procentive, and TenEleven. In 2021, global investment firm KKR acquired a majority stake in Therapy Brands.
Directories
Who owns the Psychology Today therapist directory? The Psychology Today directory is owned by Sussex Directories, which is based in the Cayman Islands. Sussex Directories also operates the HealthProfs.com directory of other health care specialists. Sussex Publishers, which runs the Psychology Today magazine, is based in New York.
Who owns the Monarch therapist directory? Monarch is owned by SimplePractice, which operates its namesake practice management software as well as SimplePractice Learning (which offers CE and related professional development courses) and TrackYourHours (software for prelicensed clinicians to track their experience toward licensure). SimplePractice is owned by EngageSmart as described in the EHRs section above. (See disclosure at the bottom of this post.)
Who owns the Therapist.com therapist directory? Therapist.com is owned by PESI, Inc. PESI also operates Psychotherapy Networker magazine, a publishing house, and several CE brands.
Exam Prep
Who owns Ben Caldwell Labs? Ben Caldwell Labs is privately owned. I’m Ben. Hi! 👋🏼 This blog is part of Ben Caldwell Labs. Check out our exam prep and CE resources.
Who owns AATBS? AATBS is owned by Triad Behavioral Health, which operates several exam-prep brands (including Gerry Grossman Seminars) across different disciplines. Triad Behavioral Health is privately owned. Council Capital lists Triad in its portfolio, suggesting it is a significant investor in the company, but details of their investment do not appear to be public.
Who owns Therapist Development Center? TDC is privately owned.
Who owns Gerry Grossman Seminars? Like AATBS, Gerry Grossman Seminars is owned by Triad Behavioral Health, which also operates several exam-prep brands across different disciplines. Triad Behavioral Health is privately owned. Triad acquired Gerry Grossman Seminars in 2018.
Therapist Web Sites
Who owns Brighter Vision? Brighter Vision was acquired in 2020 by EverCommerce, a private equity firm that has acquired more than two dozen companies related to health care.
Who owns TherapySites? MH Sub I, LLC owns TherapySites. MH Sub I does business as Internet Brands, which “provides customized and programmatic advertising solutions to home and travel automotive, health, and legal markets, as well as develops and licenses Internet software and social media applications,” according to Bloomberg. Among Internet Brands’ many sites, it operates health care sites including Medscape and WebMD.
Continuing Education
Who owns SimplePractice Learning? Unsurprisingly, SimplePractice owns SimplePractice Learning. As described in the EHR section above, SimplePractice is owned by EngageSmart. (See disclosure at the bottom of this post.)
Who owns Psychotherapy Networker? Psychotherapy Networker is owned by PESI Inc. PESI, Inc. operates its flagship CE site as well as other health care CE brands, a publishing house, the Therapist.com directory, and Psychotherapy Networker magazine.
Who owns PESI? PESI is part of PESI Inc. PESI, Inc. operates its flagship CE site as well as other health care CE brands, a publishing house, the Therapist.com directory, and Psychotherapy Networker magazine.
Who owns CE4Less? Level Education Group, LLC does business as CE4Less. The company received $6.5 million in funding from Fidus Investment Corporation in 2021, including $5.5 million in debt and $1 million in equity. Level also operates the CE brands NurseCE4Less and CCM4Less, serving nurses and certified case managers respectively.
Who owns AspiraCE? AspiraCE is privately owned.
Who owns Ben Caldwell Labs? Ben Caldwell Labs is privately owned. I’m Ben. Hi! 👋🏼 This blog is part of Ben Caldwell Labs. Check out our exam prep and CE resources.
(For AATBS and Gerry Grossman Seminars, see their entries in the Exam Prep section.)
Conferences
Who owns the Evolution of Psychotherapy conference? Often referred to in the field simply as “Evolution,” the Evolution of Psychotherapy conference was for many years a function of the Milton H. Erickson Foundation. The foundation also operates the Brief Therapy Conference, the Couples Conference, and the Psychotherapy Video site, which offers training resources. In 2019, the Evolution of Psychotherapy conference was acquired by HMP Global for an undisclosed amount. HMP operates dozens of brands primarily related to health care training around the world. Since the HMP acquisition, Evolution has gone from being a once-every-few years event to being an annual event. While HMP owns Evolution, the conference still serves as the annual meeting of the Erickson foundation.
Who owns the Networker Symposium? The Networker Symposium (officially, the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium) is an annual event hosted by PESI Inc., which owns the Psychotherapy Networker brand, a publishing house, the Therapist.com directory, and several CE brands.
Updates or Corrections
See an error here? Or, would you like us to add another category of companies? Contact us to let us know.
Disclosure: I previously worked for SimplePractice, as the Education Director for SimplePractice Learning. I continue to regularly write for their online magazine, Pollen. I own a very small amount of ESMT stock.