Just over seven months ago, a dedicated group of therapists embarked on an inspiring journey, laying the foundation for what is now known as TherapistsDAO. Today, we reflect on our remarkable journey, celebrate our accomplishments, and share our vision for the future. While our mission remains steadfast, we've recognized the importance of taking necessary steps before realizing our dream of a therapist-owned and governed virtual clinic.
The Early Days
Our journey began with a passionate group of therapists coming together to create a revolutionary platform. In the first few months, we accomplished several crucial milestones that laid the groundwork for our project:
Defining Our Values: We coalesced around shared values and ethics, anchoring our project in principles that prioritize the well-being and autonomy of therapists and their clients.
Crafting a Vision: We penned a lite paper that detailed our vision—a virtual clinic where therapists are not only providers but owners, where their expertise and voices are cherished and respected.
Building Trust: Trust is the bedrock of any community, and we diligently worked to form meaningful relationships and bonds among our founding team.
Healing and Growth: Recognizing the importance of addressing systemic issues, we initiated reflection circles aimed at unlearning racism and healing from racial trauma, further underscoring our commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
Work Group Formation: The formation of our first work groups demonstrated our commitment to collaborative efforts and teamwork.
Pivoting with Purpose
Despite our unwavering commitment to our initial vision, we underwent a significant pivot. We began to question if we were adequately prepared for the complex, costly, and ambitious undertaking of building a virtual clinic from the ground up. As a community, we engaged in deep discussions, challenged existing ideas, and sought out new possibilities.
We collectively explored these fresh ideas, considering their potential, requirements, and implications. This pivot was not a step back but a forward-looking strategy to ensure that we could create a resilient and sustainable venture.
The Next Steps
Our pivot has led us to identify critical steps that are essential before we fully embark on our mission to establish a therapist-owned virtual clinic. These steps include:
Financial Foundations: Some of our next steps will be establishing a legal wrapper, compensation system, bank account, and treasure to manage funds responsibly, ensuring financial transparency and accountability.
Collaboration and Value Creation: Before launching the clinic, we are determined to demonstrate our ability to collaborate effectively and provide valuable services that prioritize the well-being of therapists and their clients.
Revenue Generating Arms: Through recent surveys, the DAO has established 3 defined projects within the DAO for seeking revenue. They are business-to-business consulting, incubator cohorts for therapists starting their own private practices, and reflection circles for clinicians centered around unlearning racism and white supremacy. These projects will offer the DAO members an opportunity to earn income and gain knowledge of what it means to work in a decentralized manner. This experience will be invaluable in setting our foundation as we work the build the virtual clinic in the future. Seasons of Work: The DAO recently passed a proposal to begin working within 12-week seasons of work, alternating planning and active work phases. These seasons help create a structure around goal setting, timelines, and reflection to support workgroups in combining intentionality and efficiency around accomplishing what we set out to do. First season starting Nov. 1st!
Celebrating Progress
As we redirect our course and embrace these crucial next steps, it's essential to remember that pioneering change is rarely straightforward. Building something groundbreaking can be complicated and messy, but it's in those moments of uncertainty and growth that we discover our true potential.
Let's pause for a moment to celebrate how far we've come. In just seven months, we've come together, united by a shared vision, and collectively made vital strides toward transforming the role of therapists in mental health tech. Our journey is a testament to the strength of community and the power of a shared dream. As we continue to evolve, we look forward to shaping a future where therapists truly own their autonomy and where the healing process is equitable and empowering for all. Together, we're on the path to building something visionary and groundbreaking.