The Center for Motivation and Change

What The Center for Motivation and Change does

The Center for Motivation and Change (CMC) is a private, founder-owned clinical group practice founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York, with 11-50 employees providing outpatient, residential, family, and telehealth treatment for substance use disorders, compulsive behaviors, trauma, and co-occurring mental health conditions. It serves adults, adolescents, families, and trauma survivors across the United States through three physical sites (CMC:NYC, CMC:California in San Diego, and the 15-bed CMC:Berkshires residential facility in western Massachusetts) plus telehealth delivered by clinicians licensed in 30+ states. The company's underlying methodology is its proprietary Invitation to Change (ITC) approach, developed by co-founders Dr. Carrie Wilkens, Dr. Jeffrey Foote, and Dr. Kenneth Carpenter, which integrates Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), Motivational Interviewing, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy alongside modalities including EMDR, DBT, CBT, and CBT for Insomnia.

CMC generates revenue primarily through professional services fees from outpatient therapy, the intensive residential program (typical stay ~5 weeks), and telehealth sessions, supplemented by sales of published books and workbooks. The go-to-market is a hybrid sales-led and community-led motion: direct clinical delivery to individuals and families, complemented by a 501c3 non-profit affiliate (CMC:Foundation for Change) that distributes free and low-fee support groups, ITC trainings, podcasts ('The Beyond Addiction Show' and 'Rethinking Rock Bottom'), and the free 20-Minute Guide to drive top-of-funnel awareness and referrals. The organization is HIPAA-compliant and has not disclosed funding, M&A, or external ownership activity, appearing to operate as an independent founder-led practice with a tightly defined geographic footprint and a clearly differentiated non-12-step, evidence-based positioning.

Name

The Center for Motivation and Change

Legal name

The Center for Motivation and Change

Website

https://motivationandchange.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Motivation and Change is a private, founder-owned clinical practice providing outpatient, residential, telehealth, and family services for substance use, trauma, and mental health conditions, using a proprietary evidence-based Invitation to Change approach across sites in New York, San Diego, and Massachusetts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Addiction and Mental Health Treatment Services

NAICS

Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Mental Health Treatment Centers (HLAFACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO), Behavior Change & Motivational Coaching (HSADAGAF)

Keywords

• Substance use treatment
• Residential addiction treatment
• Evidence-based therapy
• Family support programs
• Mental health services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Outpatient Therapy Services: Individual therapy, group therapy sessions provided at office locations. Clients attend scheduled sessions while living at home.
2. Residential Treatment (CMC:Berkshires): 15-bed intensive residential treatment program offering 24-hour care in structured, supportive environment. Typical length of stay approximately 5 weeks with flexible duration based on clinical assessment.
3. Telehealth Services: Remote clinical services provided across multiple states through licensed clinicians.
4. Published Books and Workbooks: Sale of published works including Beyond Addiction (10th Anniversary Edition), Beyond Addiction Workbook for Family & Friends, The Invitation to Change: A Short Guide, and the 20-Minute Guide.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Center for Motivation and Change is a private group practice that delivers outpatient, residential, trauma, and family treatment services for substance use, compulsive behavior, and co-occurring mental health conditions. Treatment is grounded in evidence-based modalities — CRAFT, Motivational Interviewing, ACT, CBT, DBT, EMDR, Prolonged Exposure, and Cognitive Processing Therapy — unified through CMC's proprietary Invitation to Change (ITC) approach. Services are delivered through outpatient offices in New York and California, a 15-bed residential program in Massachusetts, multi-state telehealth, and complemented by educational publications and community resources.

Product overview

The Center for Motivation and Change (CMC) operates as a group practice offering a comprehensive portfolio of treatment services organized around its 'science and kindness' philosophy. The core offerings include residential treatment at CMC:Berkshires (a 15-bed facility in Massachusetts) and outpatient services in New York and California, supplemented by telehealth across multiple states. Treatment methodologies center on the proprietary Invitation to Change (ITC) approach, which integrates CRAFT, Motivational Interviewing, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, alongside evidence-based modalities including EMDR, DBT, and CBT for insomnia. CMC extends its reach through educational publications including the book 'Beyond Addiction' and companion workbooks, podcasts ('Rethinking Rock Bottom' and 'The Beyond Addiction Show'), and free resources like the 20 Minute Guide and guided meditations. Family and adolescent services complement the direct treatment programs, while the CMC:B Alumni Community provides ongoing support for residential program graduates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Invitation to Change (ITC): Evidence-based approach incorporating CRAFT, Motivational Interviewing, and ACT to help families support loved ones struggling with substance use
• Beyond Addiction
• The Beyond Addiction Workbook for Family & Friends
• The 20 Minute Guide
• Rethinking Rock Bottom
• The Beyond Addiction Show

Products and services

• CMC:Berkshires Residential Treatment 15-bed short-term intensive residential treatment program on a 200-acre private campus in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, offering 24-hour care with frequent individual and family therapy sessions and typical stays of approximately 5 weeks.
• Outpatient Treatment Individual therapy, group therapy, and adolescent services delivered at office locations in New York City and San Diego, including specialized programs for substance use, compulsive behaviors, trauma, and executive functioning difficulties.
• Telehealth Services Remote therapy services delivered by licensed clinicians across multiple states including California, New York, and Washington D.C., allowing clients to access CMC's evidence-based treatment regardless of geographic location.
• Family Services Services designed to help families and friends support loved ones struggling with substance use or mental health issues, based on the CRAFT and Invitation to Change approaches, including family therapy and skills-based training.
• Adolescent Services Specialized treatment programs tailored for adolescents and teens dealing with substance use, compulsive behaviors, and mental health challenges, integrated with family involvement.
• CMC:B Alumni Community Ongoing alumni support community for graduates of the CMC:Berkshires residential program to maintain recovery, connection, and continued access to CMC resources after discharge.
• Beyond Addiction (10th Anniversary Edition) Book authored by CMC co-founders Dr. Carrie Wilkens and Dr. Jeffrey Foote providing practical guidance for families and friends on using kindness, positive reinforcement, and evidence-based strategies to help loved ones overcome addiction and compulsive behaviors.
• Beyond Addiction Workbook for Family & Friends Companion workbook guiding families and friends through the Invitation to Change Approach with evidence-based skills for supporting a loved one struggling with substance use.
• The Invitation to Change: A Short Guide Paid guide with explanatory chapters and exercises walking through the nine core topics of the Invitation to Change Approach for families and supporters.
• The Beyond Addiction Show Podcast Weekly podcast hosted by Dr. Josh King discussing evidence-based treatments of substance abuse and interviewing leaders in treatment and research.
• Rethinking Rock Bottom Podcast Six-part podcast series hosted by Dr. Carrie Wilkens and Rev. Jan Brown, produced by CMC:Foundation for Change, exploring the experience of loving someone struggling with substance use.

Quantifiable outcome

• CRAFT has been shown to engage loved ones in treatment at 65-75% of the time vs. 20-40% for traditional interventions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CMC:Foundation for ChangecoreOthersCMC's 501c3 non-profit arm dedicated to providing evidence-based tools for change to everyone who cares about a person struggling with substance use. Through training, support groups, and community infrastructure building, FFC uses the Invitation to Change approach (ITC) to help family, friends, treatment providers, and community leaders.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• McLean Hospital: Harvard-affiliated psychiatric hospital with residential and outpatient behavioral health programs. Comparable to CMC on residential mental health treatment, dual-diagnosis care, and clinician-led model, though McLean is significantly larger and broader in scope.
• Lyra Health: Employer-sponsored mental health benefits platform providing therapy and coaching virtually. Comparable to CMC on evidence-based, non-12-step orientation and family-inclusive care, but delivered at scale through employer contracts rather than direct-to-consumer clinics.
• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: Large nonprofit addiction treatment provider with residential and outpatient programs nationwide. Comparable to CMC as a multi-modality substance use treatment organization, but with broader service portfolio, more locations, and traditional 12-step orientation versus CMC's non-12-step approach.
• Recovery Centers of America: Multi-site residential and outpatient addiction treatment operator in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Comparable to CMC on residential + outpatient substance use treatment, though RCA operates at significantly larger scale with a more traditional treatment model.

Direct peers

• Talbott Recovery Campus: Atlanta-based residential and outpatient addiction and co-occurring disorders treatment provider. Directly comparable to CMC as a smaller-scale, evidence-based, private-pay substance use treatment operator with both residential and outpatient modalities.
• Sandstone Care: Adolescent and young adult substance use and mental health treatment provider with residential and outpatient levels of care. Comparable to CMC on family-inclusive, evidence-based approach and dual-diagnosis focus, with similar private-pay positioning and adolescent specialization.
• BrightView Health: Multi-state outpatient addiction treatment provider offering medication-assisted treatment and therapy. Comparable to CMC on outpatient substance use treatment services and evidence-based approach, with broader geographic reach and Medicaid-heavy payer mix.
• Promises Behavioral Health (BRC Healthcare): Multi-site residential and outpatient addiction and mental health treatment operator. Comparable to CMC on private-pay residential + outpatient substance use treatment with co-occurring disorders focus, though larger footprint and broader condition set.
• Caron Treatment Centers: Private nonprofit addiction treatment provider with residential, outpatient, and family programs on the East Coast. Closely comparable to CMC on modality mix (residential + outpatient + family services) and private-pay positioning, with similar evidence-based clinical orientation.

Emerging players

• Charlie Health: Virtual intensive outpatient program (IOP) provider for adolescents and young adults with mental health and substance use concerns. Comparable to CMC on evidence-based treatment modality and family-inclusive approach, but delivered entirely virtually and focused on the youth segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_TheCMC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-motivation-and-change
• Facebookfacebook.com/CenterForMotivationAndChange

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Center for Motivation and Change