Shared Practice Space

History & Overview

Opening our doors in January 2000, Wise Counsel & Comfort was the realization of a two-fold goal.  First, to create a place where community-minded mental health and wellness professionals would work cooperatively, supporting one another and supporting our community by providing professional, affordable services. In Portland, even non-profit counseling agencies rarely charge less than $80 per session, and there are tens of thousands in our community who deserve access to professional mental health care as much 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 professionals to step into private practice without fear, without unbearable financial burden, in comfortable, professional space in which they and their clients can feel safe and at ease. We have supported nearly 500 clinicians begin and build successful private practice, and assisted others with a temporary or second office location. We’re also able to support “new-to-the-Northwest” practitioners in getting their practice here off to a good start, with shared or full time furnished offices.

Between 2000 and 2020, we operated out of many locations around the Portland metropolitan area.  The COVID pandemic dealt a nearly-terminal blow to Wise Counsel, but we have been able to keep one shared location open.  We have a four office suite on SE Woodstock Boulevard at NE 44th Avenue.

Almost every professional member of the Wise Counsel & Comfort community, whether mental health or wellness professional, offers sliding scale options for low income and uninsured clients. There are three ‘tiers’ of rent, which differ from one another based on the clinician’s fee scale. Those who make a commitment to hold half of their clinic hours open for clients paying less than $50 per session benefit by a significant discount. A “standard” rent option is available for licensed clinicians who offer some type of discounted options to low-income clients, but are not asked to devote any specific portion of their clinic hours to lower-fee clients.

For those willing to cap their fee schedule at $50 (a great strategy for beginning private practice), an even lower rent plan is available. Please contact us for details about current availability of this option.

Rent schedules are detailed below.

 We make every effort to have the session spaces feel comfortable and safe. The comment we hear most often from visitors to any of the Wise Counsel offices is “It feels good in here!”

 Marketing & Practice Building

Cooperative marketing is an enormous benefit of practicing with the Wise Counsel & Comfort community. Fifteen dollars per month from each colleague’s rent is devoted to supporting the marketing efforts including our websites, Oregon Public Broadcasting ads, video clips on the website, and display ads in local newspapers.

Our website, Portland-Therapist.org  receives an average of 11,000 hits and more than 600 unique visitors each day. The websites are a proven and consistent path for clients to find us. Your photo, telephone, email, and a more comprehensive description of services will be added to the website with a one-time-only cost of $100 — no further monthly fees for the websites.

Your credentials and contact information are included in our monthly publication of a brochure detailing all of the professionals at Wise Counsel.

Colleagues are welcome to schedule pro-bono (no-fee) services or initial consultations at NO cost

 Rents & Policies

All rent options listed below include a $15 per month contribution toward WCC marketing.

Offices are offered full time or part time (5/10/15 hours per week).  Hourly rent is between $4 and $10 per hour.  Full time rent is $600 per month. Please reach our director, Lynne Joy Nesbit at lynnejoy@gmail.com for information on current full-time offices available.

Part-time colleagues at Wise Counsel & Comfort have firmly scheduled hours, and are able to schedule additional hours outside that schedule as needed for urgent appointments or consultations.  (As noted above, hours reserved for pro-bono clients are available to you at NO additional rent.)The initial term for sublet at Wise Counsel is twelve months, and continues month-to-month following the initial term. Payment to begin the lease include first month’s rent, $100 web set-up fee, and $100 key/damage deposit which is entirely refundable. We’re glad to create ‘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!

Standard Rent

Requires only that clinicians offer some discount to uninsured clients suffering financial hardship.   

$200 monthly for 5 hours per week.     $335  for 10 hours per week.     $415  for 15 hours per week.

Discounted Rent

To take advantage of the “discounted” rent option, providers make a commitment to hold half of their clinic hours available for clients paying $50 or less.

$185 monthly for 5 hours per week      $255 for 10 hours per week        $320 for 15 hours per week

“Nearly-Non-Profit” Rent

To take advantage of this tier, the clinician caps all session fees at $60 per hour.

$150 monthly for 5 hours each week    $200 for 10 hours per week       Discounted Rent

History & Overview

Opening our doors in January 2000, Wise Counsel & Comfort was the realization of a two-fold goal.  First, to create a place where community-minded mental health and wellness professionals would work cooperatively, supporting one another and supporting our community by providing professional, affordable services. In Portland, even non-profit counseling agencies rarely charge less than $80 per session, and there are tens of thousands in our community who deserve access to professional mental health care as much 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 professionals to step into private practice without fear, without unbearable financial burden, in comfortable, professional space in which they and their clients can feel safe and at ease. We have supported nearly 500 clinicians begin and build successful private practice, and assisted others with a temporary or second office location. We’re also able to support “new-to-the-Northwest” practitioners in getting their practice here off to a good start, with shared or full time furnished offices.

Between 2000 and 2020, we operated out of many locations around the Portland metropolitan area.  The COVID pandemic dealt a nearly-terminal blow to Wise Counsel, but we have been able to keep one shared location open.  We have a four office suite on SE Woodstock Boulevard at NE 44th Avenue.

Almost every professional member of the Wise Counsel & Comfort community, whether mental health or wellness professional, offers sliding scale options for low income and uninsured clients. There are three ‘tiers’ of rent, which differ from one another based on the clinician’s fee scale. Those who make a commitment to hold half of their clinic hours open for clients paying less than $50 per session benefit by a significant discount. A “standard” rent option is available for licensed clinicians who offer some type of discounted options to low-income clients, but are not asked to devote any specific portion of their clinic hours to lower-fee clients.

For those willing to cap their fee schedule at $50 (a great strategy for beginning private practice), an even lower rent plan is available. Please contact us for details about current availability of this option.

Rent schedules are detailed below.

 We make every effort to have the session spaces feel comfortable and safe. The comment we hear most often from visitors to any of the Wise Counsel offices is “It feels good in here!”

 Marketing & Practice Building

Cooperative marketing is an enormous benefit of practicing with the Wise Counsel & Comfort community. Fifteen dollars per month from each colleague’s rent is devoted to supporting the marketing efforts including our websites, Oregon Public Broadcasting ads, video clips on the website, and display ads in local newspapers.

Our website, Portland-Therapist.org  receives an average of 11,000 hits and more than 600 unique visitors each day. The websites are a proven and consistent path for clients to find us. Your photo, telephone, email, and a more comprehensive description of services will be added to the website with a one-time-only cost of $100 — no further monthly fees for the websites.

Your credentials and contact information are included in our monthly publication of a brochure detailing all of the professionals at Wise Counsel.

Colleagues are welcome to schedule pro-bono (no-fee) services or initial consultations at NO cost

 Rents & Policies

All rent options listed below include a $15 per month contribution toward WCC marketing.

Offices are offered full time or part time (5/10/15 hours per week).  Hourly rent is between $4 and $10 per hour.  Full time rent is $600 per month. Please reach our director, Lynne Joy Nesbit at lynnejoy@gmail.com for information on current full-time offices available.

Part-time colleagues at Wise Counsel & Comfort have firmly scheduled hours, and are able to schedule additional hours outside that schedule as needed for urgent appointments or consultations.  (As noted above, hours reserved for pro-bono clients are available to you at NO additional rent.)The initial term for sublet at Wise Counsel is twelve months, and continues month-to-month following the initial term. Payment to begin the lease include first month’s rent, $100 web set-up fee, and $100 key/damage deposit which is entirely refundable. We’re glad to create ‘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!

Standard Rent

Requires only that clinicians offer some discount to uninsured clients suffering financial hardship.   

$200 monthly for 5 hours per week.     $335  for 10 hours per week.     $415  for 15 hours per week.

Discounted Rent

To take advantage of the “discounted” rent option, providers make a commitment to hold half of their clinic hours available for clients paying $50 or less.

$185 monthly for 5 hours per week      $255 for 10 hours per week        $320 for 15 hours per week

“Nearly-Non-Profit” Rent

To take advantage of this tier, the clinician caps all session fees at $60 per hour.

$150 monthly for 5 hours each week    $200 for 10 hours per week       Discounted Rent

Weeknight evening schedules require a minimum 3 hour time slot, 6-9 pm or 7-10 pm

Wise Counsel & Comfort is NOT an agency or a group practice.

This structure protects us from exposure to the substantially greater financial risks and obligations associated with a group practice. It also serves to protect us from potential liability for one another’s professional practice, given that each and every clinician practices independently maintaining personal control over records, etc. The office addresses may not be used as a mailing address for business, insurance, payment or any other important or confidential documents. Counselors are urged to register (with their professional boards and insurance companies) home or post-office-box address for important/confidential mail, and use the office address only for identification of practice location.

All those in practice at Wise Counsel & Comfort are required, as a part of their association with Wise Counsel, as well as their professional and legal obligations detailed by state law and their respective professional boards, to practice according to the highest ethical standards of their profession. Unless practicing under a specific exemption from licensure, Wise Counsel & Comfort clinicians must be in a formal relationship with their licensing board. We welcome licensed clinicians in good standing, as well as registered interns who practice under the license of a credentialed clinical supervisor. For those who are specifically exempted from Oregon’s licensure laws, minimum academic credentials must include completion of a graduate degree or comparable professional training.

We also are pleased to welcome alternative providers – coaches, consultants, spiritual guides, hypnotherapists, etc

In addition, every practitioner will release Wise Counsel & Comfort, and the building owners in writing for any liability for any injury you or your client might experience while they are on our premises (“slip & fall”), or provide a property liability policy naming Wise Counsel & Comfort, LLC 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

For more information, or details about current availability, please email our director, Lynne Joy Nesbit:   lynnejoy@gmail.com

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