Celebrating 6 Years of Mental Health Care in Oregon — and Our First Year in Milwaukie

October is a big month for Willamette Wellness Center.

We’re celebrating six years of serving clients across Oregon — and one year since we opened the doors to our first physical clinic in Milwaukie.

That first anniversary has given me a chance to think about why we decided to open our clinic, what we’ve learned over the past year, and what I’m most excited about as we head into year two.

For our first five years, WWC provided therapy exclusively through telehealth. But we started hearing more from clients who wanted to meet with their therapists in person again.

I understood why. There’s an “in-person feel” that online sessions can’t quite provide, and we wanted to respond to what our clients were telling us while continuing to offer online therapy throughout Oregon.

We hoped our Milwaukie office would give clients more options for receiving care and give our therapists a warm, comfortable place to see them.

A year later, it’s been rewarding to see the office become more than we hoped.

From the Lamps to the Mural: Making the Space Our Own

 

One of my favorite parts of opening the Milwaukie office happened before we ever welcomed our first client.

We had the opportunity to remodel the approximately 2,500-square-foot space before moving in, which meant we got to choose all the little details — right down to the lamps.

One of my favorites is the mural on the back wall, which depicts the mountains in our logo and feels very Pacific Northwest.

Those details mattered to us. We wanted the office to feel warm and comfortable for both our therapists and the clients coming in for sessions.

In the end, we created six therapy suites with enough space for approximately 15 WWC therapists to offer in-person appointments.

After five years as a telehealth practice, it felt good to give our therapists and clients a physical space of their own.

The Surprise We Didn’t Expect: We Needed More Room

 

We knew there was interest in in-person therapy when we opened the office.

What we didn’t know was just how much demand there would be.

After COVID changed the way so many people accessed mental health care, we weren’t sure how quickly people would return to in-person sessions.

It didn’t take long to find out. We filled the available office space much more quickly than we expected.

Filling the office so quickly also got us thinking about something we didn’t expect to be considering after just one year: What if we need another location?

More Space, More Possibilities

 

We’re now looking at opening another WWC location, and I’m excited about what that could make possible.

Of course, another location would give more clinicians and clients access to in-person therapy. But it could also allow us to expand our services.

I’d love to see WWC offer group therapy and family therapy, and perhaps play therapy for children. With just a little more room, we could accomplish a lot.

That’s an exciting place to be as we celebrate our first anniversary in Milwaukie.

Six years ago, Willamette Wellness Center began as a telehealth practice. Today, our first physical office has become an important part of what WWC is — and has us thinking about what else could be possible.

A year ago, I wasn’t sure how much demand there would be for in-person therapy.

Now we’re talking about needing another location.

That’s a pretty exciting way to begin year two.

Thank you for being part of the WWC community.