Everyone who applies starts in our video simulation. Applicants respond to a series of challenging recorded situations of the kind a specialist faces in practice. We record their responses and trained raters grade them on the qualities and behaviors that research links to strong helping relationships and better outcomes: empathy, warmth, and alliance.

Only 3% of applicants score “excellent” on all seven simulations, which is required to be selected. We are the only provider that requires every specialist to demonstrate these skills before hiring, rather than inferring them from a credential or an interview.
Read more about the video simulations here.

Specialists who pass the simulator complete training in crisis response, privacy, ethics, documentation, and skill-building practice, and complete any state-required certification before seeing members.

Training and supervision are led by our founder, Tim Desmond, a licensed therapist, bestselling author, and Distinguished Faculty Scholar in Counseling Psychology at Antioch University New England. All of our trainers and supervisors are licensed clinicians who have taught at the graduate level.

Specialists deliver one-to-one skill-building sessions under a licensed clinician’s plan, with weekly supervision and documented progress toward each member’s goals. They are an exceptional group of people, committed to the members they serve.