We had the good fortune of connecting with Megan Phillips and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I started my private practice in 2016, I had one very specific goal–I wanted to eliminate postpartum depression one family at a time. I struggled with both anxiety and depression after having my first child in 2013, and I felt very alone and hopeless. Because I’m a mental health professional, I knew what to research to try to find support, but I was one of the lucky ones. All too often, new parents struggle alone and in silence because they believe that they are the only ones suffering. This isolation is so damaging and it doesn’t have to be that way. Once I recovered from my own postpartum depression, I sought training from Postpartum Support International and I changed the direction of my career entirely. I opened up my solo practice in 2016, and by 2018, I realized that there was so much more need in my community and one person couldn’t handle it all. That’s when we became a group practice. Today, we have 25 providers on our team who are all trained in perinatal mental health. We also have a prescriber who can help with medication services, and we regularly refer internally to a chiropractor and a dietitian who are familiar with perinatal health to make sure we provide holistic and integrative care. We are by far the largest perinatal practice in the state, and we are now working to set up satellite offices in underserved communities where specialists are hard to come by. We are making a big impact in our community, and we are slowly working towards accomplishing my original goal of leaving no family behind.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As my group practice grows, I have decided to add a new adventure to my list. One of my most coveted resources has been my colleagues in the mental health space who have all paved the way to greatness and who have generously shared their successes and challenges with me. Our cohort of about 300 group practice owners in California meets regularly to share ideas, cheer each other on, and troubleshoot challenges, and it is the most warm and welcoming space. However, we have all recently seen a shift in the business landscape thanks to nefarious players in the mental health space. These adversaries come in the form of giant tech companies and insurance panels who undervalue the work we do. To combat these challenges, a group of mental health leaders have decided to create a new structure that allows mental health and allied professionals to come together to advocate for ourselves and give ourselves power in numbers. We created a collaborative umbrella organization that allows group practices to negotiate for things that help our practices thrive including better insurance reimbursement rates and lower administrative costs. We call ourselves Wellvity Health Group, and our tagline is Empowering Wellness and Igniting Vitality Through an Integrative Healthcare System. We are going to transform the mental health landscape for the better, and we are so excited to get started. Those who are interested in our advocacy work can fill out an interest form at Wellvityhealth.com.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anyone who visits the LA area is probably heading to the amusement parks. I always recommend Disneyland to visitors as it is a must. However, I love smaller attractions too. One of my favorite things to do with out of town visitors is to head to a local community soccer game. My favorite is the Orange County Soccer Club which is a semi-professional team that plays at the Irvine Great Park. It is an easy to access stadium with free parking, great food, and not a bad seat in the house. The team is really good and they were the recent champions last year. It’s a good time and it is a much more low-key environment than a huge sporting event. I also like to encourage folks to see a rotating broadway show if they can. We recently caught the tail-end of Frozen on tour and it was magical. Lastly, I think no trip is complete without a trip to the beach. My favorite beach communities are Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, and Dana Point. There is something to do for the whole family, and the people watching is amazing. You could easily spend the day taking in the natural beauty that Southern California has to offer.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to take a moment to shoutout my amazing clinical team. I came to each of them with a hope and a prayer and a vision to sell them on without much ground to stand on. I asked each of them to take a chance and settle into their professional lives within the perinatal specialty which was a narrow and risky gamble. No one really knew if a super-specialized practice could work or be successful, but they all took a chance. From my very first interns to my current leadership team, every one of the providers who came to us all believed in my vision, and it has truly paid off. I call what we all do a “work of heart” because it really is. Each of our providers has been affected in some crucial way by perinatal mood or anxiety disorders, either as survivors or as people who love a survivor. We are all doing this work because we know what it feels like to be trapped in the dark pit of despair and we want to shine a light into that space and lift people up. My whole team is absolutely incredible and they all do amazing work. Cottonwood would not be here if it wasn’t for them, and I show my appreciation in whatever way I can. We exist because our team is amazing, and they are the reason I keep going. I am so grateful to have them all by my side on this journey.

Website: www.cottonwoodpsychology.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drmeganphillips

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CottonwoodPsychology

Other: www.wellvityhealth.com

Image Credits
Jaclyn Lee Photography

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