Newmarket resident Laura Lord has witnessed how the pandemic brought an increased demand for online therapy.
After working with many private mental health clinics over the years managing intake, she said she could see the high need for those struggling with mental health issues.
“All of us have family or friends who have suffered, or even ourselves, who have suffered with mental health conditions,” she said. “Just given the climate of the world today, there’s certainly more demand … and just being able to provide that support to people when they need it is very rewarding.”
Lord decided to help meet that need by opening a new business in Newmarket, Online Therapy Centre. Bringing together a variety of psychologists and psychotherapists with whom she has worked, the business offers online mental health services to residents in Newmarket and beyond.
The business celebrated a grand opening ceremony Oct. 27 at the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce, as the business does not have a specific office.
The model allows them to offer services with more flexible hours, with a wide range of specialists helping them fulfill different needs, Lord said.
“We aim to help every person we work with reach their fullest potential,” she said. “You’re getting the best of what we all bring to the table, tailored to your unique journey.”
Registered psychotherapist Julie Anderson, also based in Newmarket, is one of those specialists.
Having worked with Lord previously, she said she decided to join the team despite some initial hesitancy with a primarily online platform.
“It feels way more personal than I had anticipated,” she said. “It’s just way more efficient and easier than I had anticipated.”
Helping others through their struggles is what drew her to the field, she said.
“I’ve needed services in the past, and maybe it wasn’t as easy for me at that time,” she said. “So I realize how important it is to make it easily accessible for everyone.”
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said that with all the difficulties in the community, including housing, pandemic recovery, as well as the impacts of international events, mental health support is important “now more than ever before.”
“As a province, and as a country, we are not delivering all we should be, and so this is great to know this is available to our community and other communities,” Taylor said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The first few months of the centre have gone well, Anderson said, with the organization doing its best to welcome in new patients.
“For many years, there was a stigma attached to reaching out for mental health support, and we recognize it’s very important people feel comfortable,” she said. “I feel like it’s been great to meet all the different clients we’ve been able to meet so far, and hopefully more people will access our services.”
You can access the business at onlinetherapycentre.com.
