Alison Pidgeon dives into the challenges faced by the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed individuals) population. Despite being employed and insured, these individuals often struggle to afford therapy. Alison shares her journey from community mental health to establishing her own large group practice, Move Forward Counseling, and her mission to break down systemic barriers and reduce stigma in mental health. She highlights legislative wins in Pennsylvania, like provisional licensure for professional counselors to increase available therapists and initiatives to further integrate coaching with therapy. She also discusses the need for systemic improvements and innovative approaches in mental health care, including the potential future use of psilocybin in therapy and leveraging technology and community resources to improve accessibility and reduce stigma.

About Alison Pidgeon:

Alison Pidgeon is the Founder and CEO of Move Forward Counseling LLC, a mental health outpatient private practice spanning the state of Pennsylvania. Her training and education is as a licensed professional counselor, but now she is the visionary for her business of 80 employees. Alison also works as a business consultant, started and successfully sold a virtual assistant company, and is a real estate investor. In her spare time, she chases after her 3 boys and drives a minivan to soccer practice.

moveforwardpa.com

linkedin.com/in/alison-pidgeon

Episode Timestamps:

• (02:05) Alison’s journey to advocacy
• (05:00) Current challenges in the mental health system
• (09:45) The ALICE community
• (12:00) Collaborating with United Way of Pennsylvania
• (13:55) Legislative efforts; provisional licensure for LPCs
• (17:00) Ideas for the future of therapy; psilocybin
• (18:05) Integrating therapy and coaching

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