Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Winston.
Hi Melissa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My business partner and I worked in residential treatment settings with teens and families for years prior to the start of 510. It was there that we saw the worst case scenarios for kids and families, where often the theme was simply that nobody had been able to figure out how to help their kiddo. Most of them had been hospitalized many times, had been to therapy for years, and yet the teen’s mental health was an ongoing challenge – to the point that he/she was often unable to be kept safe. In residential, you have the opportunity to really dig into the overall system of issues – family dynamics, any missed developmental issues, trauma, undiagnosed health issues, academic challenges, all of it. It was there that we got to see incredible life change, not just for the kids we served, but their families as well. So often, the message we heard from parents was “I wish we had found you guys 10 years ago and could have avoided all the heartbreak we’ve suffered in that time.” These were families just like yours and mine who simply couldn’t find the care they needed, and the implications were huge!
As a transplant from Joplin who landed in Grain Valley very much by happenstance when I moved here to work in the residential treatment facility (house closeish to work with good schools, etc), I realized that the community I lived in had nothing for mental health. At the time, there was not a single office or counselor in Grain Valley, and the offices in neighboring cities to us were all booked out so far that getting access to care was a real challenge for my new friends and neighbors. I was constantly being asked where people could get help. These were folks just like those I’d met in residential who absolutely should have the ability to get the help they needed, but couldn’t find it. It was then that I realized that something had to give – Eastern Jackson County needed more resources, and so 510 was born. We opened up in a tiny little space in a strip mall in Grain Valley with myself (the only full time provider) and four other very part-time folks (all who were sort of waiting to see how it was going to shake out and whether or not they could make a living in Grain Valley). When I opened, I got a lot of positive feedback. People were glad we were here, but I was also warned that we weren’t the first office to give Grain Valley a go in the mental health space. It was January of 2021. COVID was raging still, but people were looking for help. I think we opened our doors at just the right time!
It didn’t take long for my schedule to get booked out quickly. When I started taking some insurance at the request of our school district superintendent who couldn’t find anywhere that could serve his staff using their insurance, things went from steady to overwhelming! As the community’s largest employer, it wasn’t just the people who worked in the district, but their partners and kids. I realized quickly that I was going to have to grow this team if we were going to accommodate the needs of our little town. Before we could afford a receptionist, people would just leave voicemails and we would call them back. Over and over, I heard the same story: “I’ve called a ton of offices, and nobody ever calls me back! My [fill in the blank] needs help, and we are so glad you are here! Thank you for just calling me back!” This community had needed us for a long time. I felt such a calling to rise to the occasion and to grow with the needs.
Themes started to arise from our incoming client calls – we needed a play therapist to work with kids, high level trauma work, we needed prescribers who could help with medication, and then it was providers who would partner with the court system for families going through divorce, custody disputes, and parent/child contact challenges. At every turn, we just tried to step in, believing that if we were supposed to be a part of the solution on an issue that was coming at us, the resources would follow. And one by one, the right providers kept finding us! I also built a partnership with the University of Central Missouri’s Marriage & Family Therapy program, which has been a HUGE blessing to us to bring low-cost therapy options with interns we train here on site, several of whom have stayed with us, completed the licensure process, and are doing incredible work with clients at 510.
At this point in the game, we have 12 therapists, 2 clinical interns, 3 prescribers, and 3 admin team members – with several more therapists on the way. As quick as we hire new providers, their schedules fill up! We have grown from a tiny little three office 1,200 sqft space to a now 8,000 sqft space with 16 offices, 2 play therapy rooms, a group room, and a family visit room (and 9 bathrooms – ha!). We have room to grow and big plans on the horizon to add Psychological testing services, supervised family visitation, and more. It’s been such a wild ride, but we are so honored to walk alongside literally thousands of clients here at 510, and it is never lost on me what a big deal it is for them to trust us with the most painful and vulnerable parts of their stories. These are some of the bravest humans on planet earth, and we are honored to walk alongside them!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We’ve definitely had our challenges. We worked hard in the beginning to build this thing with no debt and to pace our growth based on the need and the resources we’ve had to work with. But as you can imagine, the demand for growth has often outpaced our capacity and so creativity has been required! We have mostly been able to do that, but we had an issue with a software system we used for our electronic health record that had a programming error that cost us a large six figure number. The system was causing us to leak money – literally – and over time, there were major financial implications! We have always operated on a shoestring budget with the goal of having as few overhead costs as possible so that our clients can have the most affordable options possible with the best care possible, and that our providers can actually make a living doing this work (which can be tough in mental health). It took us almost 9 months to identify the root cause of the financial bleeding, and when we did, the system that caused it was unwilling to take any financial ownership of the problems. There was tremendous cost to us as owners when we couldn’t make payroll or pay the rent because of this, and we had to make some big changes to be able to sustain ourselves through that season. We’ve had to engage a lawyer to help us with this, but thankfully we are on the upswing with the ship starting to right itself and the error resolved for now. There have certainly been other challenges, but this is the biggest one we have faced – one that almost sank us. We have and continue to learn a lot every day.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
510 Counseling Group is a group of mental health providers who are passionate about people and helping them find the very best in themselves so they can create the lives they desire and deserve. We believe that people are the the experts on their own lives and that together, we can build something beautiful – even from the darkest parts of our stories. We have therapists and prescribers who are capable of handling most all issues for all ages in the mental health space. From ADHD, Autism, and other developmental disorders to trauma, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and major issues in our most intimate relationships, we have providers who are trained to walk alongside our clients of all ages and stages. We offer individual therapy for teens and adults, play therapy for kids, couples therapy, and family therapy as well as a full range of Psychiatric services for medication management. We partner with area schools, court systems, medical providers, and families to treat issues systemically – not just looking at symptom management, but how to actually resolve the root issues that are keeping our clients stuck. I’m not sure that we’re all that different from other offices in some ways, but what I can say is that we get really good feedback from our clients. They almost always tell us that when then walk in the door, they can “feel” that 510 is different. It’s homey and safe. We do little things to help them feel more comfortable and at home. From a reset station in the bathrooms to recover after a tough session – to a family waiting room with a place to play for kids and comfortable chairs for waiting parents to work on their laptops or read a book – to coffee, tea, water, soda, juice and candy in the waiting rooms – to an easy check-in system – to comfortable decor and a warm welcome with excellent customer service that goes the extra mile on the phone and at the front desk. It’s the little things that seem to remove barriers for people, and all of that matters. But I think the biggest thing that makes us great is truly our people….every one of them is here for the right reasons, and they genuinely care! We are people who are authentic and practice what we preach. We’re in the fight too, unpacking our stories, our trauma, working to unravel the generational patterns we have inherited too. We’re just real people doing our own work, showing up for other real people doing the same. It’s not a “clinical feel” – it’s a human to human connection that is real, and that is everything. I hear often that our clients can feel the difference.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I think it’s important for all of us to understand that we’re all the same. It’s easy to think that only “super messed up people” need therapy. But that’s entirely untrue. We’re all just trying to figure this life thing out, and even the most upsetting behavior makes sense in context. We just have to figure out the context, which is where therapy comes in! All our behaviors (the good, bad, and ugly) are rooted in the same deep longings and needs – we all long to feel safe and significant in this world. Unfortunately trauma and other mental health difficulties can cause us to operate from a place where we feel we have to protect ourselves all the time, which absolutely gets in the way of us having the lives and relationships we long for. When we constantly operate from fear and self-preservation, and can make it nearly impossible to have the satisfying lives and relationships we desire. So the work for all of us is the same: identify and unravel the trauma that’s impacted you negatively (we ALL have it). Identify and address the mental health difficulties that are holding you back from showing up in ways that feel safe to the people who love you. Retrain your nervous system to function properly so you’re not reacting TO life from your amygdala (the brain’s protection center) but instead, engaging in life from your values. Nobody is exempt or NOT in need of this work. If you are a human on planet earth, therapy can serve you, and it’s absolutely worth the investment of your time, energy and resources.
I think another important thing about 510, and certainly a key to our success, is that we are very engaged in our community. We don’t want to be just helpers, but good neighbors and citizens in our community and beyond. We are plugged into our local Chamber and Rotary Clubs (I serve on both executive boards), we partner with our schools in big ways as sponsors, offering a scholarship award to a local student “Overcomer,” partner in the Bright Futures program and almost anything they ask of us – we are here for it! We are involved in nearly all the major activities happening in our community (the Halloween Spooktacular, Downtown Grain Valley events, etc.). I am also involved in the greater therapy community by serving as the co-chair of the AAMFT’s Missouri Family Team, I serve on the state MFT licensure board in Missouri, on the advisory board of the UCM MFT Program, and I am an AAMFT approved supervisor. We believe that our role isn’t just in the clinic, but also to be a part of making our community, state, and country better,
and it brings us so much joy to be a part of making our world a little healthier and happier by living our values out loud and being a part of solutions in the world we do life in. It’s an honor to get to serve alongside such beautiful souls, and we hope to do so for many, many years to come.
Pricing:
- Therapy ranging from $40-$175 depending on provider training and experience
- Psychiatric services ranging from $65-$250 depending on length of service
- We have providers in-network with most major commercial insurances (excluding Medicaid/Medicare)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.510counseling.com
- Instagram: @510_counseling_group
- Facebook: facebook.com/510Counseling
