Allen and Kristin Wisler want to eliminate the stigma around mental health care and make it affordable, so they founded Erie Mental Health St. Petersburg.
“When people start looking for a therapist, it’s like dating,” Allen says. Sometimes clients have to see several therapists before they find one that’s “compatible.”
“Our system allows people to get to know their therapists up front. They can look at a variety of attributes to find a therapist who can help with their particular issues and concerns, but also empathize with them in other ways.”
Clients can view photos of therapists before coming to the office and search for therapists based on attributes such as gender and age, he added.
Clinic director Katie Planchard is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked as a therapist for 10 years and is passionate about the urgent need for accessible mental health care.
Jan. 30, 2021: Allen and Kristin Wisler moved up their wedding date so their dying mother could attend.
Allen explained that the Whistlers are committed to cultivating a culture of openness and acceptance. After experiencing great loss themselves, they came to understand how important it was to help others feel comfortable asking for help, he said.
In 2021, Christine lost her mother, Cathy, to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare brain disease, just months before their planned wedding in a castle in Ireland.
The Whistlers were married in the Tampa Bay area within six days of her diagnosis so Kathy could attend the wedding. Kathy died about three months later.
Two months, two weeks, and two days later, Kristin’s maternal grandmother died. Kristin suffered from depression in the face of these losses, and Allen encouraged her to seek talk therapy.
After working with three therapists, she found the support she needed, a move she says saved her life.The experience inspired the Whistlers to want to help others battling mental illness in their community.
Therapist Katie Planchard is the clinical director at Erie Mental Health St. Petersburg.
Allen said one of the reasons the couple decided to open the clinic was because “we felt we could really make an impact in St. Petersburg.”
Allen, who used to work as a pharmacist, said his work experience also showed him that many people could benefit from talk therapy rather than relying solely on medication, the most common form of mental health treatment in the country.
They plan to open a total of three clinics in St. Petersburg over the next few years.
There is currently no waiting list, and while Kristin’s therapy sessions cost about $175 per hour, Allen estimates the cost to be around $50 per hour, depending on a person’s insurance.
He stressed that since mental health care is just as important as physical health, it is important to make mental health care more affordable for the community.
Ellie Mental Health St. Petersburg opened June 3 at 9400 Fourth Street N. More information about the organization, which accepts clients ages 5 and up, can be found here
