From Psychiatrist to Pioneer: The Reason Why I Opened an Urgent Care for Mental Health

RicardoLuiz/AdobeStock

I did not begin as a health care entrepreneur. I was a young medical student on the traditional track who became interested in a career in psychiatry because I wanted to help individuals: individuals who were suffering, struggling, or trapped. My motivation was never about creating a business; it was about making a difference. However, as years passed, I began to recognize a troubling truth: the system I am a part of too frequently hinders, rather than advances, access to mental health services.

I saw it myself, over and over again. Crisis patients are being discharged with weeks—even months—to wait for an appointment. Overcrowded emergency departments have no ability to deal with psychiatric problems.

Still, the bureaucratic complexities associated with insurance impede access to necessary care. Individuals seek assistance, only to discover that the avenues for support are partially obstructed. The health care system to which I have devoted myself is not effectively serving those who require it most. It is not only failing them, but it was also failing me.

Eventually, I could not avoid it any longer. I knew that we needed to create something more, something that put individuals ahead of bureaucracy, something that answered the immediate demand for mental health care right away. That is why Mindful Care came into being.

The Early Period: From Clinical Settings to Deep Questions
My journey as a medical professional began in the usual manner. I attended medical school, trained in psychiatry, and completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry. I practiced in hospitals, treated thousands of patients, and taught classes to future medical professionals. But it was during these years of practicing on the front lines in addiction clinics and psychiatric wards that I began to ask hard questions.

Why was there no equivalent of urgent care for mental health?

What prevents someone experiencing a panic attack, suicidal thoughts, or intense depression from going to a clinic and receiving same-day treatment?

Why has mental health been regarded as separate from physical health, and in some ways, as less urgent?

The questions that troubled my mind throughout the night soon pushed me out of the exam room and into a far larger undertaking: envisioning the provision of mental health care.

I had spent much of my life working in hospitals, attending to patients one after another, seeing them suffer while waiting for attention. But this extensive training made me question whether there could be a better approach. What if individuals could receive assistance before reaching rock bottom? What if we designed a system where patients would not need to navigate a gauntlet of obstacles to receive the assistance they required? I needed to respond to those questions, so I set out to develop something that could provide solutions.

Developing Mindful Care: Same-Day Assistance for Those in Need
I launched Mindful Care in 2019 with a straightforward yet revolutionary concept: mental health care ought to be directly accessible at all times, not just after a crisis has escalated beyond control.

Our first facility was opened in New York, where we offer same-day psychiatric evaluations, medication management, therapy, and addiction treatment. This facility was specifically planned to be speedy, affordable, and judgment-free: basically, a place where people can get help without waiting weeks for an appointment or having to navigate the intricacies of insurance administration.

The concept resonated to a greater extent than I had anticipated. In the last several years, Mindful Care has grown into a multi-state organization with clinics in New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, and Illinois. We now employ over 300 clinicians and staff members and continue to expand. What we built was not a company, but rather a response to a crisis that is experienced by many but spoken about by few: the silent, daily strain of mental health.

The Challenges That Remain Hidden
Naturally, the journey of building something new is never without its problems. Possibly one of the toughest has been navigating around the system, namely insurance.

Mental health urgent care does not fall into the boxes that most insurance companies use. It is not a standard visit, it does not have a protocol, and it is hard to categorize. This is a tremendous issue. If we are going to make mental health care truly accessible, we also must make it affordable. This means that insurers must change, as well as the rest of the system. But it is a slow process, and it is often like swimming against the tide.

Another obstacle? Stigma. Even in 2025, most people are still afraid to seek help. Men particularly tend to suffer in silence—a situation I spoke about in a Muscle and Fitness piece on anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder.¹ We are socialized to "tough it out," even if we are falling apart inside. I have made it my mission to shatter that silence.

In addition, there is a tremendous shortage in the workforce. There are not enough psychiatrists and therapists to meet the growing demand. The gap between the population's needs and the services we can provide is widening. This makes the hiring, training, and scaling processes more and more difficult, but it simultaneously underscores the importance of our work to an even greater degree. Despite all this, I remain hopeful. Every challenge we overcome only validates the worth of what we are building. We are building something that will have a lasting impact.

Why Psychiatrists Should Think Larger
Along the way, I have come to hold something firmly in my mind: psychiatrists cannot merely be clinicians. We must be innovators, leaders, and yes, entrepreneurs.

For a long time, mental health clinicians have been trained to consider only the 1-to-1 clinical relationship. That relationship is sacred, and I have a profound belief in its value. But if we want to see positive change in the mental health epidemic, it is imperative that we also embrace a systemic thinking mindset. We must move our thinking beyond the walls of the exam room. We need to develop new care models, fight for policy change, guide health care reform, and develop solutions that scale. That is how we will fix a broken system.

I have tried to live that belief. In addition to operating Mindful Care, I have written op-eds for Newsweek and The Washington Times,^2,3 served on advisory boards for health care firms and business schools, and spoken at national conferences on physician burnout, youth suicide, and addiction. I even started a podcast, Candid Minds, in which I discuss mental health in the context of everyday life with founders, clinicians, athletes, and public figures.

Ultimately, all of these considerations come down to a single mission: how do we enhance the quality of care for those who require it, when they require it?

The True Strengths of Urgent Psychiatry
When individuals hear "urgent care," they typically envision examples such as a sprained ankle or a cough, not situations involving a panic attack or overwhelming loss. However, the reality is that psychiatric emergencies do occur daily and require a prompt and caring response.

Mindful Care provides critical virtual and in-person services to those who are suffering and do not need to be hospitalized. We serve those who cannot wait 6-8 weeks for a therapy appointment. We also serve those who are ready to seek sobriety but need a medication-assisted program now, not a month from now.

Our patients are a very mixed bag of people including students, teachers, single parents, nurses, creatives, professionals, artists, athletes, and first responders. They are from all backgrounds struggling to manage their circumstances and requiring urgent assistance. What I am most proud of is not just the formation of a company, but the development of a new way to get across the message: "You matter. Let's get you the care you deserve now."

Looking Ahead

As we keep growing, I am reminded every day what is at stake. Mental illness will not wait. Neither should care.

The nation is now experiencing a mental health crisis, one that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, economic distress, social isolation, and trauma. Suicide rates are increasing. Substance use disorder is rising. Instances of burnout have reached record levels. Individuals are encountering difficulties in ways that cannot be disregarded. But I do not believe in despair. I believe in action. I believe in showing up.

Mindful Care is a method of being present with individuals at their darkest hour. Further, it is my wish that it encourages other mental health professionals to embrace a new mindset: to consider how we can apply our expertise not only within the confines of the exam room, but in boardrooms, in startups, in classrooms, and in community centers. We do not have to accept a broken system. We can repair it. We can remake it. We can make it faster, friendlier, and more human.

That is the future I am building. And I am only just beginning.

Dr Aldad is a board certified psychiatrist who completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry, and the founder and CEO of Mindful Care—the award-winning, first-ever psychiatric urgent care in the United States. He is passionate about acute mental health issues, public mental health, and improving access to affordable care.

References

1. White T. Men’s mental health: struggling with anxiety, PTSD, and depression in silence. Muscle and Fitness. Accessed June 12, 2025. https://www.muscleandfitness.com/features/from-our-partners/mens-mental-health-struggling-with-anxiety-ptsd-and-depression-in-silence/

2. Aldad T. There's no quick fix when it comes to mental health care. Newsweek. Updated March 4, 2025. Accessed June 12, 2025. https://www.newsweek.com/theres-no-quick-fix-when-it-comes-mental-health-care-opinion-1875224

3. The silent crisis: what’s missing in U.S. mental health care. Washington Times. Accessed June 12, 2025. https://www.washingtontimes.com/sponsored/silent-crisis-whats-missing-us-mental-health-care/