Speed Therapy

Most people probably know the Sidwell Friends School as that prestigious institution the president’s daughters attend to receive the education of a lifetime. However, for the Psychological Group of Washington, the school is ground zero for the birth of a new and innovative approach to the world of therapy.

Surrounded by only four other practices, the school had rounded together teams of professionals to offer services for special needs testing. And as parents and students alike meandered across the gym floor, pulling therapists aside to pour question after question about their prodigy-hopefuls, Dr. Maia Coleman-King and Dr. Katherine Marshall sat at their table in between entertaining clients and brainstormed the newest wave to hit psychology since Prozac.

“What if we could do this for the public?” one would ask the other, referring to the gym-full of professionals marketing themselves at each table. “Why can’t we put this on for everyone else?” And in the next few minutes, the Dynamic Duo of mental health outlined their brainchild, Speed Therapy—the Mona Lisa to their practice The Psychological Group of Washington.

For PGW, it was far too common to pack up a few chairs, a rug, and a couple pillows, make their way down to the Black Family Reunion Celebration on the National Mall only to end up in mini therapy sessions with inquiring faces. After seeing so many people grabbing for even a brief moment of advice, the need for a gathering of patients and therapists alike became all the more obvious.

Their answer to the call?—Speed Therapy

If a person can sit down at 6 different tables in a single night browsing like rapid fire through potential paramours, then why not give it a try with your doctor as well? Of course speed dating isn’t as simple as planting yourself at a table, giving a person the look down and moving on—but naturally, neither is Speed Therapy. Clients are given the chance to spend about ten minutes basically “trying out” a would-be clinician, no strings attached. This allows people to really get a feel for their therapist without committing to a single, or even multiple preliminary sessions. And how do you know what you like until you give it a try right? That’s the point of Speed Therapy—patients need more than just another doctor. They need an atmosphere of trust, of comfort, of stability and each person has their own mental snapshot of what that looks like in a person.

It’s important to realize though, that a ten minute interview isn’t a therapy session. Speed Therapy is more about uniting future client with therapist in a setting that makes the process easier than calling around, regurgitating payments, and scheduling appointments weeks in advance. You get to ask the practical questions about insurance carriers, fees, and the like. Though it would be ideal to fit in a good ten minutes of life-fixing into the meeting, what’s most important is that people find what they’re looking for in a doctor, life coach, counselor and so on and the space for that meeting is what Speed Therapy brings to the table.

It’s no secret that life knocks people down far more often than anyone needs and no matter how well-off or not you are, there’s bound to be a monster or two in your closet at some point. A lot of people shy away from therapy because of stigmas that hardly meet reality and The Psychology Group of Washington wants to give the community a chance to demystify the world of mental health and make therapy a real option for those who need it. And what doctor wouldn’t want the chance to expand his or her practice by getting to meet a handful of new clients in the span of an hour? Networking between health-seekers and care-givers is the easiest and simplest way to make lasting relationships happen both inside and outside of the clinic.

So this is where Speed Therapy takes off and all it needs is you. What you talk about, how much you share, the questions you bring to the table—they’re all up to you. It’s your space and it’s your time to really look for the help you need and there’s no time like the present to get started.