Millions of people start and then stop mental health treatment after only a few sessions because they don’t make a solid connection with the right professional. Unfortunately, many give up and never try again. This frustrating and costly process wastes everyone resources: consumers, professionals, and insurers alike.
We know you want someone to help you with your specific issues, preferably an expert in those issues. And you want someone you can connect with, someone whose personality suits yours. But the current ways people seek mental health treatment, such as through provider directories or blind, word-of-mouth referrals from physicians and friends, are both archaic and incredibly inefficient. A list of "providers" doesn't help you tell them apart, and a referral you get from someone who knows only one or two therapists isn’t really much of a choice.
So, as mental health practitioners, we designed the Agora Mental Health Network®. It's a modern, transparent marketplace, a platform purposely built for professionals to showcase their skills and personality so that you can really get to know them and meaningfully compare them. Only then can you choose the professional with the expertise and working style that best fits your needs. And in a transparent marketplace, it’s all on display, fees and all.
Your health is your responsibility and so are your healthcare choices. Our mission is to give you the information you need to choose confidently. After all, the right choice for you is the one you make for yourself.
The Agora MHN Team
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James Dod, Ph.D.
Jim is a co-founder and President of AgoraMHN. He's a clinical psychologist who worked for 17 years at NorthShore University Healthsystem, on Chicago's North Shore before moving into private practice in 2004. He soon became aware of the problems faced by independent professionals looking to market themselves as well as a desperate challenge consumers face when they go hunting for the right professional. After teaming with Field, the concept for Agora MHN was born. Jim still maintains a thriving fee-for-service practice specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapy. He is a graduate of Trinity College (Hartford) and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois (Chicago) with a research focus on judgment and decision making under uncertainty.
Steven Field, M.D.
Steven is the originator and one of the founding partners. Steve has worked as a psychiatrist until his semi-retirement two years ago. Prior to that, he maintained a busy clinical practice, specializing in treating mood and personality disorders. He has taught medical students and psychiatric residents, and has written extensively on topics ranging from health care financing and medical ethics to clinical interviewing and partial hospitalization. Steve received his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois, where he majored in psychology, and his MD from the University of Illinois, College of Medicine. He did his residency training at Northwestern University, Evanston Hospital. Steve and his wife split their time between their home in Colorado and their home in the Chicago area.
Ben Kleinman, MBA
Ben brings the business background to the AgoraMHN team. He is a strategic advisor with a strong background in health care, working with both small startups and larger organizations, often connecting the two for new partnerships. He has analyzed markets, identified growth opportunities, assessed organizational competencies and developed new products and solutions. Ben has an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and enjoys spending time with his family, distance running, and watching old black and white movies.