Mental Health PlaybookOpen Therapy Institute
- Geographic Focus: National
- Mission: Address sociopolitical bias in mental health care through research, media outreach, training/resources for therapists and clinical referral services for the public.
- Operating Budget: $250,000
- People Served: Therapists and patients
- Focus Areas and Core Competencies:
- Research/scholarship
- Therapist training and resources
- Clinical referral services
- Media outreach
Impact Statement
Since launching its programming in mid-2024, the Open Therapy Institute has become an approved continuing education provider for psychologists, social workers and counselors. In under three months, the organization has developed over a dozen workshops, commissioned over 50 academic articles, gained 60 paying therapist members and referred over 100 patients to their network of therapists.
A Conversation with Andrew Hartz, founder and president of the Open Therapy Institute
Q: What is the mission of your organization? What specific areas related to mental health challenges are you working to solve?
The Open Therapy Institute (OTI) addresses sociopolitical bias in mental health care.
It may be shocking to some, but political bias has become a pervasive problem in the mental health field. There are activist therapists who impose ideological treatments on patients, and there are therapists whose political biases lead them to clash with patients. This leaves entire clinical populations struggling to find services.
OTI is contacted daily by patients who don’t know where to find a therapist who will respect their values. Often, they describe bad experiences of therapists judging them or even ending treatment because of their views. Sometimes patients report being out of therapy for years because they couldn’t find an attuned therapist.
We’re also contacted regularly by therapists who feel isolated in the field as it’s become more politicized. Some are graduate students struggling to make it through aggressively ideological programs. Others are seasoned professionals who are concerned about the radical changes they’ve witnessed in the field.
These biases have led countless clinical populations to be overlooked: people who are forced to self-censor, people dealing with false accusations of harassment, people experiencing ideologically-driven job discrimination and people with other concerns related to their political views or religious faith. It includes people affected by ideology on college campuses, in the workplace and in their own families. It also includes people who are antagonized for being in a “privileged” group.
By researching and providing training on these issues, OTI aims to develop a professional community of skilled therapists who can treat these underserved populations. This can improve countless lives and lead to systemic change in the mental health field. It can even foster broader cultural changes that ripple throughout the larger culture.
Q: How do you describe the big goals your organization is working to achieve? How do you measure impact?
OTI’s ultimate goal is to improve care for patients underserved due to sociopolitical bias. We aim to develop academic literature, provide therapist training, build a professional network and offer clinical referral services. In the next year, we plan to publish a comprehensive report with articles on over 50 topics that are overlooked because of bias. In that time, we also aim to host 12 workshops (each with three to four speakers on unique overlooked topics), to attract 300 additional therapists as members, to sustain regular appearances in the media and to help 1,000 patients find therapists.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges the organization has experienced working to accomplish its mission? How did your organization overcome those challenges?
There have been many challenges. First, professional organizations that grant accreditation (like the American Psychiatric Association) have substantial political bias, though we were still able to obtain accreditation for psychologists, social workers and other counselors. Second, most professionals are afraid to speak up about bias. Nonetheless, we’ve managed to develop a top rate team, including faculty at institutions like Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Fordham. We’re proud that our mission has drawn earned media in outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, New York Post, “The Dr. Drew Podcast” and “Dr. Phil Primetime” despite having no marketing budget.
Q: What are the organization’s biggest needs? How can philanthropists help your organization achieve its goals?
The first area is in operations. We have substantial needs related to accounting, legal fees, administration, fundraising, organizing workshops, screening/managing members and fielding patient contacts. The ability to acquire part-time staff to fill these roles would significantly expand OTI’s efficiency, sustainability and capacity to have a larger impact.
Another area is marketing. Currently, we are relying on word of mouth and organic (free) social media content. The growth we’ve seen from this has been tremendous, but it has limitations. We’d like to have direct marketing to professionals, outreach to the wider public and sponsorships/booths at conferences—all of which can significantly expand our impact.
A third area is compensation for our scholars and volunteers. OTI depends heavily on volunteer time from therapists and scholars. Many have researched and written articles at no charge. They help build our programming, host our podcast, promote OTI’s work, give lectures and provide other essential services.
These activities involve professional risks and great investment of time and energy from highly skilled professionals who earn their income from hourly fees. This is not sustainable or fair in the long term. Without compensation, people can burn out and make difficult choices regarding tasks that do provide compensation.
Q: Beyond the organization, where should philanthropists who care about advancing knowledge related to improving mental health invest their charitable dollars?
Addressing sociopolitical bias is vital for effective mental health care. Philanthropists should consider supporting organizations with missions complementary to OTI’s, such as Critical Therapy Antidote and the Society for Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences. These contributions will ensure mental health care serves a broader and more diverse population.
Contact Our Team
Contact the Roundtable’s Programs team to learn more about this investment opportunity.