Wise Counsel & Comfort is the realization of a two-fold goal.

First, to create a place where community-minded mental health professionals would work cooperatively, supporting one another and supporting our community by providing "professional and affordable" counseling and therapy. In Portland, even non-profit agencies offering mental health services rarely see patients at less than $40 per session, and there are thousands in our community who deserve services every bit as those who are financially stable and/or insured. Wise Counsel & Comfort exists to help insure that those services are available.

Second, to inspire and support young graduates to step into private practice without fear, without unbearable financial burdens, in lovely, professional space in which they and their clients can feel safe and comfortable.

We opened in September 2000 and since that time, have supported more than 80 therapists in beginning and building their private practices, and assisted others with a temporary or second office location.

There are three 'tiers' of rent. "Standard" rent requires only that the practitioner offer sliding scale fees, but requires no commitment as to any particular fee range or availability of lower fees. "Discounted" rent is offered to those counselors willing to reserve one third of their sublet hours only for clients paying less than $40 per session. These rent categories are detailed below.

For counselors willing to cap their fee schedule at $40 per session -- often a good strategy for counselors just beginning private practice -- a "Nearly-Non-Profit" rent is available. Please call us for details about availability of this option.



Location & Space Details top

Wise Counsel & Comfort currently has six locations in Portland, with twenty offices in all. Our downtown Portland location is at 37 SW Jefferson, near the west end of the Hawthorne bridge, just steps from Waterfront Park on the Willamette river.






There are three offices here, seating four to seven, a comfortable reception area for clients, and a restroom down the hall.





The office is fully accessible, and, being on street level, the reception area and one office benefit from south-facing windows filled with lovely stained glass, providing privacy but welcoming the light. Tri-Met bus stop and a large "Smart-Park" parking structure ($1.25 per hour) are both right outside our front door.


And, of course, Starbucks is 'right around the corner.' (Come to think of it, Starbucks is always right around the corner!)






Our newest offices are at 2037 NW Lovejoy in Portland's "Pearl" district, just two blocks from Good Samaritan Hospital. We're in a lovely, late 1800's white colonial building on the ground floor. Portland's streetcar line runs immediately in front of our office, and the Tri-Met stop (and Starbucks!) are just one block to the west. We have two offices here, seating 4 and 6, with a large, comfortable reception area, and access to both bath and kitchen.

At our South East Portland location, at 3705 SE 39th Avenue, we are pleased to share space with mind-body practitioners at "East West Acupuncture." Our office seats six, is large, comfortable and bright, with wall to wall windows on the north and west sides.

In North East Portland, we practice out of three locations.

The "Glisan" offices are at 423 NE 60th Avenue, at the corner of NE 60th and Glisan, near Providence Hospital. There are seven comfortably furnished offices, seating three to nine, a spacious reception area and restroom. Five of the seven offices have leather recliners, and all include accessories that support our therapeutic effectiveness -- pens, kleenex, white boards, etc. The reception area offers magazines, soft music, water and a variety of teas for you and your clients. Ample space for display of business cards, brochures and flyers about upcoming events is provided. This office is only steps from Tri-Met (bus) and MAX (light-rail) stops, and for those driving, we are just three blocks from the entrance and exit for Interstate 84. On-street parking is easily available, and we're delighted to be next door to the "Seven Virtues" coffee shop.


Our "Fremont Storefronts"location at 1305 NE Fremont, is in an early 1900's storefront in a quiet yet lively neighborhood about a mile and a half Northeast of downtown Portland. Two bus lines converge within one block of the office, and there is ample free street parking. We're surrounded by conveniences and pleasures – a public park, child care center, restaurants, library, natural foods grocery (Wild Oats) and Starbucks. (see?)

The suite includes reception area, restroom and four beautifully furnished offices seating three to nine. The reception area has magazines, music, cold water, hot tea of every variety and growing plants.

The third NE location, 4605 NE Fremont, Suite 209, is upstairs in the "Fremont Commons" complex, an environmentally sound "green" building in the Alameda/Beaumont neighborhood. We're on the second story, above a wide variety of shops and restaurants (the elevator is just steps away). Parking and public transportation are close and easy. At the Fremont Commons location, two offices are available, each with a small desk for easy charting. The first has a large window on the courtyard and is designed for individual sessions. The second is about 12 x 15, and seats ten.

The comment we hear most often from visitors to Wise Counsel offices is "It feels good in here!"

Virtually everything you need to begin and grow your private practice (other than your professional files) are provided for you at Wise Counsel & Comfort.


Marketing & Additional Benefits top

Cooperative marketing is a benefit of practicing at Wise Counsel & Comfort. Ten dollars per month from each colleague's rent is devoted to supporting the marketing efforts.

Your name, credentials and contact information are included on the window displays, and in our monthly publication of the "Professional Directory." The brochure is available at each location, and can be broadly distributed as part of your marketing effort. New counselors at Wise Counsel are provided with complementary design and printing of your first 200 business cards, and assistance is available for design of flyers for groups or special events. Colleagues regularly have the opportunity to participate in special marketing and community networking efforts. One example is our large display ad featuring six colleagues each week in a local newspaper. We often participate in community events, staffing tables providing information on the services available at Wise Counsel & Comfort. Seasonally, we seek opportunities to purchase ad space in other high-profile environments – health clubs, concerts, etc.

Colleagues are welcome to schedule pro-bono sessions or no-fee initial consultations during open hours without any additional fee or rent, and our largest offices are available to you at NO cost if you offer community/educational events for which you charge no fee. This is an excellent marketing strategy. If you have a specialty about which folks are sure to be curious (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy? What's that?), just reserve the room, post a flyer, send a press release to the local media, and you're on your way.

Our website (which you've already found!) receives an average of 4000 hits daily, and is a proven and consistent path for clients to find us. Your photograph, telephone, email address, and a more comprehensive description of services will be added to the "Meet the Therapists" section of the website, and requires only a $50 initial set-up fee to begin.

Because the task of beginning and building a successful private practice is such a demanding one, and the process can be isolating, Wise Counsel & Comfort offers regular opportunities to support and learn from one another. We enjoy monthly social & networking opportunities, and partner with several non-profit agencies in Portland.

Twice-monthly peer consultation groups, facilitated by seasoned mental health professionals, are available for Wise Counsel colleagues at no cost, and professional trainings are offered several times each year, for which continuing education units are available -- again, at no cost to the colleagues in practice at Wise Counsel & Comfort. CEUs are available through our association with the Oregon Counseling Association and the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).

Rents & Policies
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Colleagues at Wise Counsel & Comfort reserve their regular clinic hours at one location, and are privileged to schedule additional hours as needed at a cost of $10 per hour. Requests for additional hours are made 2-3 days in advance.

The initial term for sublet at Wise Counsel is nine months, and continues month-to-month following the initial term. Payment required to initiate the lease includes first & last month's rent, $50 web set-up fee, and $150 key/damage deposit which is entirely refundable. We're glad to negotiate 'payment plans' over the first few months if it would be tough for you to come up with the entire up-front costs -- we're here to help you make it work!

Discounted Rent

$150 for 6 hours per week ($5.40 per hour)

$200 for 10 hours per week ($4.40 per hour)

$250 for 15 hours per week ($3.70 per hour)

$300 for 20 hours per week ($3.30 per hour)

Standard Rent

$195 for 6 hours per week ($7.10 per hour)

$280 for 10 hours per week ($6.25 per hour)

$350 for 15 hours per week ($5.25 per hour)

$410 for 20 hours per week ($4.60 per hour)

(These rates include $10/month marketing contribution; Any hours rented for workshop or group therapy will be charged a modest additional fee. Weeknight evenings require a minimum 3 hour time slot, 6-9 or 7-10 pm)

Wise Counsel & Comfort is NOT a group practice; This protects us from exposure to liability for one another's professional practice. All those in practice at Wise Counsel & Comfort agree in writing to practice according to the highest ethical standards of their profession. In addition, each practitioner will either release Wise Counsel & Comfort, and the building owners for any liability for any injury your client might experience while they are here ("slip & fall"), or provide a property liability policy naming Wise Counsel & Comfort, Lynne Nesbit, and the building owners as co-insured. These are available through professional associations (American Counseling Association, etc.) at modest rates above the cost of your professional liability insurance premiums.

Contact
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We welcome your questions. Feel free to give us a call in Portland at 503-282-0182, give a call to any of the colleagues at Wise Counsel to ask questions about their experience of being a part of this cooperative effort. Drop us a line (email) or drive by, peek in the front windows and take a brochure. We look forward to hearing from you.

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