We all need support from time to time.
Money shouldn't get in the way.
Learn more about the work we’re doing to change who has access to mental health care in the U.S.
Our mission
We're a nonprofit with a mission to reduce common barriers to accessing mental health care in the U.S., especially for people of color and people who are struggling financially.
Our work targets three of the biggest reasons why people don’t get the support they need.
High costs of care
The cost of therapy can feel out of reach for most people. That’s why we created a directory of U.S. mental health services that are free or low-cost. We only include services that you can access for $30 or less per visit (for therapy) or a $10 or less one-time or monthly subscription payment (e.g., for apps).
A confusing mental health system
Many people get lost in the mental health system and don’t get the help they need. Our blog posts offer tips on navigating the mental health system from the perspective of therapists and other experts.
A lack of culturally sensitive care
Everyone deserves to work with a mental health provider who respects and understands them. This can be hard to find for people of color and members of other marginalized groups. Our blog posts offer guidance on how to find someone who is sensitive to your unique needs.
Our Team
Ashley Castro, PhD
Executive Director and Co-Founder
Dr. Castro received her PhD in clinical psychology from DePaul University and is currently a staff psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. As a Bronx-born Latina, she is focused on using research, clinical work, and advocacy to reduce mental health disparities for low-income and racial/ethnic minority families. She is deeply committed to a career serving people usually left behind by the mental health system.
Ricardo Bilton, MBA
Director of Marketing and Communications
Ricardo is a senior writer in the Corporate Affairs practice at Edelman, where he leads owned content development for leading enterprise and early-stage technology companies, including Microsoft, Samsung, Adobe, PayPal, and ServiceNow. Prior to joining Edelman, he led content marketing strategy for high-growth technology startups. At Quartz Creative, he served as creative and branded content lead for major clients, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Charles Schwab, Facebook, Deloitte Global, and Accenture.
Tracey Hobbs, MS
Director of Operations
Tracey Hobbs is the founder of Shifterr, a startup dedicated to connecting hospitality employers with local talent looking to fill shifts. With a unique professional background, she’s held titles such as Curriculum Developer and Instructor with CUNY, Project Manager at CNN, and General Manager at the ice rink at Pier 17. Tracey holds BA in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Rutgers University and an MS in Organizational Leadership from City University of New York (CUNY) - Lehman College.
Haig Santourian
Director of Technology
Haig has built software, teams, and companies across his 10+ year career in software engineering. Currently, Haig is an Engineering Manager at Shift, leading multiple teams to building the new norm for buying vehicles. Previously, Haig was the VP of Engineering at Honeybee Health, building the technology team from the ground up, helping to launch an impactful online pharmacy that is helping thousands of people access vital healthcare services. Experiencing the pains of trying to access essential healthcare has led Haig to pursue meaningful opportunities to make a lasting impact on healthcare accessibility.
Samantha Nau, MA
Service Listings Manager
Samantha is a PhD Candidate in clinical-community psychology at DePaul University. Her clinical and research interests are centered on understanding and meeting the mental health needs of underserved and marginalized communities. As a Black second-generation Haitian American, she is especially committed to ensuring that effective and culturally responsive mental health services are accessible to people of diverse ethnic/racial backgrounds.
Ilana Ander
Community Engagement Specialist
Ilana is a Counseling Psychology PhD student at Fordham University in New York City. She graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in International Studies. Prior to graduate school, she spent two years as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Anxiety and Trauma and Complicated Grief program. She is currently conducting research related to women's mental health counseling and is committed to improving mental health literacy and access.
Monica Estrada
Community Engagement Specialist
Monica is a Chicago native and a research study coordinator at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Her passions lie in psychological research, mental health education, the intentional dissemination of mental health resources for marginalized populations, and the use of evidence-based practices. She hopes to attend a clinical child psychology PhD program to study the academic and behavioral implications of intergenerational trauma among Latinx youth.
Harlee Onovbiona
Community Engagement Specialist
Harlee is a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Arkansas. Her clinical interests include providing treatments for children with disruptive behavior disorders and autism spectrum disorder. Her research interests include dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments for children with disruptive behavior disorders, assessing risk and resilience factors that may impact outcomes for systematically marginalized groups, and implementation of culturally informed interventions to address cultural disparities. Harlee is passionate about bridging the gap between research, practice, and policy to address child development in culturally diverse underserved populations.
Gillian Dreher, MA
Senior Writer
Gillian is an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist with a background in product design, illustration, and writing. In her current work, her goal is to combine her interests and skills to help deliver care and information to folks in ways that are easy to access and meet them where they're at. She currently works with children, teens, and young adults at a group therapy practice in the Bay Area of California. Prior to this, she worked at a number of startups including Little Otter and Modern Health creating innovative products that helped expand the reach of mental healthcare. In her free time she loves to paint and write about her insights and experiences.
Jessica Jackson, PhD
Growth Strategist
Jessica is a licensed psychologist with a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from New Mexico State University. Dr. Jackson trained at UCLA Counseling & Psychological Services specializing in young adults and student-athletes and completed a postdoctoral residency in primary care mental health integration and substance use at the VA. Dr. Jackson is the Clinical Strategy Manager at a mental health start-up and founder/CEO of a private practice in Houston.
Tali Ball, PhD
Head of Research
Dr. Tali Ball is a licensed psychologist dedicated to using science to improve access to mental health care. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the UCSD/SDSU Joint Doctoral Program and completed a Fellowship at Stanford School of Medicine. She has led research on anxiety and related conditions in both academic and industry settings, and is currently a Senior Manager of Clinical Research at Big Health.