A Proven Model for Practice Owners Who Believe That Mental Health Care is a Human Right
We help established private practice owners build charitable teaching clinics alongside their for-profit practice to ensure that nobody is turned away from the mental health care they deserve.
You Don’t Need to Keep Turning Clients Away
Most practice owners want to offer more affordable mental healthcare — but the reality is complicated.
You may be:
Offering a few sliding-scale or low cost spots and feeling stretched
Relying on clinician goodwill or unpaid labour
Carrying ethical discomfort about who gets reduced-fee care — and who doesn’t
We want therapy to feel as normal as going to the dentist. And we want continuity of care for people who need financial support—so they aren’t forced to pause or lose progress because life got expensive.
The problem isn’t access. The problem is trying to offer access without a structure designed to support it. Our approach allows you to vastly increase your ability to keep up with the mental health needs of our community—and transform how people understand and access mental health support.
This program started because I couldn’t keep turning people away.
And if you’re anything like me, the hardest part isn’t the logistics—it’s the emotional toll of saying no to people who genuinely need support.
I didn’t build this model because I wanted a “nice charitable add-on.” I built it because I wanted a better answer than, “I’m sorry, we can’t help.”
In 2022, fuelled by a passion for meaningful change, I formalized the charitable arm of my practice into a stand-alone nonprofit: Just Us; We All Struggle Inc. We had reached the limit of what the private practice could sustain on goodwill alone, and we needed a real strategy—and real funding—to meet the needs in our community.
That’s the moment the work got bigger than me. And that’s also when it got exciting.
Introducing the We All Struggle™ Model
We All Struggle™ is a 12-month, done-with-you coaching and implementation program that helps clinic owners build a charitable teaching clinic alongside their private practice. It brings real relief in knowing fewer people are turned away, and pride in creating a lasting pathway to care in their community—with the structure and support to do it well.
You’ll get help with:
Establishing a charitable structure alongside your existing practice that ensures no one is turned away from the care they deserve
Building the operational, clinical and governance systems required to run it well
This is not about adding more to your plate. It’s about building the right structure to hold the work you already care about.
Built from a real-world model delivering over 100,000 mental health sessions across Canada, We All Struggle™ helps established Canadian practice owners expand access to care through a supervised teaching clinic — without chaos, burnout or guesswork.
What You’ll Build
1. A charitable care model that actually works
Clear separation between charitable and private services (two separate entities)
A supervised teaching clinic structure using Master’s-level interns (built for quality and access)
Reduced ethical ambiguity and clinician strain
Removes barriers to access and removes stigma to have a dual model under 1 roof
2. Sustainable access to care
A scalable alternative to “a few discounted spots”
Predictable systems instead of emotional decision-making
Capacity to support more clients long-term through a teaching clinic model
3. Train the next generation—without compromising quality
Become an intern training site with real community impact
Clear supervision model and quality safeguards
A built-in recruitment and training pipeline (assess fit before hiring)
4. Strong clinical operations and foundations
Structured service delivery models
Documentation, policies and workflows that support compliance
Operational sustainability that protects staff wellbeing and business health
5. Leadership, legacy and differentiation
Position your practice as a leader in access and innovation
Contribute meaningfully to the mental health ecosystem
Build a model that supports both mission and sustainability
Create pride and morale in your team by contributing to something bigger. Our humanness shows up and bonds us when we work together as a team to fight the stigma of mental health and work towards making a real difference.
How the Charitable Model Fits
A dual entity model combining a private practice and a charity that works together to ensure all people have access to care and works
Within this program, we guide you through:
Understanding when and why a charitable model is appropriate
Integrating the charity alongside your private practice while maintaining separation as two entities
Building governance and oversight that protects clients, clinicians, and the organization
You don’t have to accept “this is just how it works.” You can build a better pathway. You don’t need to figure this out alone—and you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
How the Program Works
Over 12 months, you’ll receive:
Two 90-minute virtual private coaching sessions per month
Readiness assessment for dual-entity model
Step-by-step implementation guidance and ongoing accountability to move from idea to execution
Document review, templates and frameworks, such as internal and external policies & procedures, intern role descriptions, budgets, etc.
Teaching clinic & internship infrastructure
Dual-entity structural overview
This is done with you, not handed off and forgotten.
Who This Is For
This program is a fit if you:
Own or lead an established therapy practice
Want to stop turning away clients who don’t have the resources for therapy
Believe in proactive mental health care and care for all people
This program is not a fit if you:
Are early-stage
Want a DIY guide without implementation support
Are not ready to commit to building real systems
Investment
$4,000/month (CAD) for 12 months
Limited capacity to ensure deep, hands-on support.
Meet Your Coach, Laura Gatien
Hi, I’m Laura Gatien, MSW, RSW, a social worker, practice owner and founder of Laura Gatien & Associates Counselling Services and Just Us; We all Struggle Inc, a registered mental-health charity delivering free and low-cost counselling across New Brunswick.
Before launching my private practice, I worked in government and hospital systems where I saw the daily consequences of a broken mental health system—long waitlists, financial barriers, reactive care and clients falling through the cracks.
In 2018, I opened my own therapy practice and grew into a multi-location clinic with a strong internship program. Yet even with the best intentions, traditional private-practice models still struggled to meet community needs.
That tension is what led me to develop a structured, low-cost therapy pathway using counselling interns—and ultimately to founding Just Us; We All Struggle Inc., a registered nonprofit (founded 2022; charitable status granted in early 2023).
Today, I continue to own and operate my private practice while also serving as Board Chair of my charity, Just Us. Through the We All Struggle™ Coaching Program, I’m now looking to support other established Canadian practice owners in building charitable models that increase access to care.
You Don’t Have to Accept the System the Way It Is
If you feel the weight of waitlists and the heartbreak of turning people away, you’re not alone—and you’re not powerless.
You can build a better pathway in your community—one that expands access and trains the next generation through a supervised teaching clinic model.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. Most participants do not start with a charitable organization in place. The program supports you in understanding whether a charitable model is appropriate for your practice and how to build it responsibly if you move forward.
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You can — but many practices find that informal sliding-scale arrangements become ethically complex, difficult to scale, and reliant on clinician goodwill. A charitable structure provides clarity, governance and sustainability that ad-hoc discounts often cannot.
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The goal of this program is not to reduce profitability, but to separate charitable care from private services so both can function well. When structured properly, charitable models can protect clinician capacity and reduce financial strain rather than increase it.
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Yes — when structured correctly. This program focuses heavily on compliance, governance, and ethical service delivery. We do not offer legal advice, but we guide you through best practices and decision frameworks to support responsible implementation.
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Generally, no. This program is best suited for established practices with stable operations. If you are early-stage, we’re happy to recommend other resources that may be a better fit.
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Most participants spend several hours per month in coaching, planning, and implementation. This is not a passive program — it’s for practice owners who are ready to build real systems over time.
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Building a charitable access model involves operational, clinical, and governance layers. A 12-month structure allows time for thoughtful implementation, course correction, and sustainability — rather than rushed or fragile setups.
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No. This program is designed exclusively for therapy practice owners and clinical leaders. We do not provide therapy services through this program. If you are seeking counselling, please visit our client services page.
Request a Fit Call
Before enrolling, we start with a fit call to ensure this model aligns with your goals, capacity and readiness. Submit the form below, and we’ll email 2–3 time options within 1–2 business days. If it’s not a fit, we’ll tell you.