What is Concierge Therapy? 

San Jose Counseling and Psychotherapy

With the increase of concierge therapy practices, many are trying to learn as much as they can about concierge medicine history and how the model operates. This may make you wonder more about the history of concierge therapy, why it was created and who it works for best.

The History of Concierge Therapy

Troubled by the lack of quality time with patients, and sensing that patients felt their needs were going unmet, therapists first began creating concierge therapy practices in the 1990s. At that time, doctors and therapists began opening practices that never had a standard patient base and were formed exclusively as a concierge practice.

Concierge therapy is similar to the concierge medicine model which originated in 1996 in Seattle by Dr. Howard Maron and Dr. Scott Hall. At the time, Maron was the primary physician for the Seattle SuperSonics sports team, and sought to provide luxury primary care services to other patients similar to what he had been providing athletes. This approach became widely known very quickly, and many physicians sought to emulate the model.

Concierge medicine became known as retainer medicine, a relationship between a patient and a primary care physician in which the patient pays an annual fee or retainer. The practice may also be called membership medicine, cash-only practice, and direct care. While all “concierge” practices share similarities, they vary widely in structure, services provided, and payment requirements. Many concierge therapy models do not required a retainer and clients pay at the beginning of each session.

Many Forms of Unique Care Options

In the early 2000s, other forms of care began popping up in the field of medicine and the American Medical Association drafted guidelines for concierge and boutique practices.

The classic example of the alternative to concierge therapy is direct care. Under this model, patients pay their therapist cash and don’t use insurance. Although it doesn’t include perks like a concierge therapy practice might, therapists save time and money by not dealing with insurance companies. They may also spend more time with clients as well.

Concierge-Style Practices are Growing Rapidly

By the early 2000s, there were still only a handful of concierge therapy practices, whereas today there are thousands. This huge shift illustrates a growing trend. This happened partially because many therapists once catered only to the wealthy and now concierge therapy practices nowadays are within reach for a broader group of people.

While therapists develop these practices because they want to spend more time with their clients and focus more on wellness, the demand for concierge therapy has been driven by clients. They appreciate the personalized care, longer visits with their therapist, and having more access to their care providers.

Concierge Therapy History in the Making

Although throughout concierge therapy history the number of practices has skyrocketed, concierge therapy is still not available everywhere. The focus of concierge therapy is on providing the client with more access to their therapist and not all therapists embrace this model.

Concierge therapy means providing increased access by phone, email or text and many therapists see this as an intrusion. The goal of concierge therapy is to help clients manage their health in a better than ever. To learn more about my concierge therapy practice or to schedule a complementary consultation, please go here.