Compassionate Counseling

What Compassionate Counseling does

Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, LLC is a privately held, founder-owned mental health counseling practice headquartered in Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 2012 by Kelsey Torgerson Dunn (MSW, LCSW), the practice specializes in evidence-based anxiety therapy for children (ages 3+), adolescents, college students, and parents, with sub-specialties in anxiety-driven anger, toxic perfectionism, and trauma. Core service lines include CBT, Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), Art Therapy, and a Collaborative Parent Coaching program integrated with weekly parent check-ins. The practice has no proprietary technology and runs on standard Squarespace-hosted web infrastructure plus synchronous video for telehealth; clinical differentiation rests on modality training, a Feedback-Informed Treatment protocol using ORS and SRS outcomes tracking, and a published consumer book ("When Anxiety Makes You Angry," New Harbinger, 2022).

The firm operates a fee-for-service, out-of-network model: it does not accept insurance but issues superbills for partial client reimbursement, and offers a free 15-minute phone consultation as the top-of-funnel conversion mechanism. Revenue is generated per therapy session on a recurring monthly cadence. Distribution is built on a regional referral network spanning St. Louis-area school counselors, pediatricians, social workers, and complementary specialty therapists (e.g., referral alliance with The Empowerment Spot), supplemented by content marketing, an email newsletter, and recurring earned media in outlets such as HuffPost, NBC News, Parents Magazine, Reader's Digest, and BuzzFeed.

The practice is licensed in Missouri, HIPAA-compliant, and COPPA-aware, with a second suite at the same Bonhomme Avenue address. As of the latest data, the team comprises approximately 7-9 members including the founder-owner, senior therapists, child and teen specialists, an art therapist, a play therapist, and intake support. The company reports 91%+ of clients see improvements and 82% achieve therapy goals within 12 sessions, though no audited revenue or financial disclosures are available.

Name

Compassionate Counseling

Legal name

Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, LLC

Website

https://compassionatecounselingstl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Compassionate Counseling is a privately held, founder-owned therapy practice in Clayton, Missouri, delivering evidence-based anxiety and trauma therapy (CBT, TF-CBT, play therapy, art therapy) to children, teens, college students, and parents across the St. Louis metro area and statewide Missouri via telehealth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Counseling Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAKAMAB

School Counseling Services (Individual & Group)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health Supports (School-Based)

SECONDARYEDAJAIAA

School Counseling Services

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Student Health, Safety & Wellbeing Services (Counseling, Mental Health, SEL, Safeguarding)

SECONDARYEDAJALAF

School Counseling & Guidance Services (Academic/Social-Emotional)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Support Services (Tutoring & Counseling)

SECONDARYEDALAFAB

Mental Health Counseling & Psychotherapy Services

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Student Health, Counseling & Wellness Services

Keywords

• Mental health counseling
• Anxiety therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Play therapy services
• Trauma counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Therapy Sessions: Fee-for-service therapy sessions for children, teens, and young adults. Does not accept insurance but provides superbill for out-of-network reimbursement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Compassionate Counseling is a private mental health counseling practice that delivers individual and family therapy services, including anxiety therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Play Therapy, trauma therapy, parent coaching, and anger management for children, both in person and online. The practice also produces authored content such as the book "When Anxiety Makes You Angry" to support its clinical work.

Product overview

Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is a therapy practice offering a unified suite of mental health services for children (ages 3+), teens, college students, and parents. The core offerings include Anxiety Therapy, CBT, Trauma Therapy (TF-CBT), Play Therapy, and Parent Coaching, with specialized tracks for anxiety-driven anger and toxic perfectionism. Services are delivered through in-person sessions in Clayton, MO and statewide online therapy in Missouri. The practice also publishes the book "When Anxiety Makes You Angry" by founder Kelsey Torgerson Dunn. All services incorporate Feedback-Informed Treatment using the Outcomes Rating Scale (ORS) and Session Rating Scale (SRS) to track progress weekly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anxiety Therapy Counseling services for individuals experiencing anxiety and stress, delivered by the Compassionate Counseling practice in St. Louis.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Evidence-based CBT sessions targeting anxiety, trauma responses, and related behavioral patterns for individual clients.
• Play Therapy Child-focused therapy using play-based techniques to address behavioral and emotional issues in young clients.
• Trauma Therapy Counseling for individuals processing traumatic experiences and related symptoms.
• Parent Coaching Structured coaching sessions for parents seeking guidance on managing child behavior and family dynamics.
• Online Therapy Remote counseling sessions delivered via online channels, expanding access beyond the St. Louis metro area.
• Toxic Perfectionism Therapy Specialized therapy targeting toxic perfectionism and self-critical patterns in adult clients.
• Anger Management for Kids Therapy program addressing anger and behavioral regulation in children.
• When Anxiety Makes You Angry (book) Authored book by founder Kelsey Torgerson Dunn supporting the practice's anxiety-focused clinical work and brand authority.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91%+ of clients see improvements within 12 sessions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Empowerment Spot (Lindsay Troy, MSW, LCSW)minorOthersReferral partner and fellow St. Louis therapist specializing in brainspotting, anxiety support groups, and intensives. Compassionate Counseling refers clients when their specialized approach is not the best fit.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Empowerment Spot: St. Louis-based private therapy practice (Lindsay Troy, MSW, LCSW) specializing in anxiety, brainspotting, and intensives. Listed as an active reciprocal referral partner of Compassionate Counseling — directly comparable in size, geography, and child/family therapy focus.
• Two Chairs: Therapy practice operating in select metros with a strong outcomes-tracking culture and matched-therapist model. Comparable in its emphasis on measured client outcomes and curated therapist quality, though at greater scale and geographic footprint.

Emerging players

• Brightline: Virtual pediatric and adolescent behavioral health provider offering therapy, psychiatry, and coaching for kids and teens. Comparable target demographic (children/teens, anxiety) but operates at national scale with a tech-enabled delivery model.
• Little Otter: Pediatric mental health company providing therapy and support for children ages 0–14 and their families. Comparable focus on child anxiety and parent coaching, with a digital platform that scales beyond in-person therapy.
• Charlie Health: Virtual outpatient mental health provider for adolescents and young adults, including anxiety, trauma, and family therapy. Comparable client age range (teens/young adults) and clinical modality mix (CBT, TF-CBT-influenced).
• Hazel Health: School-based mental health provider offering teletherapy to K–12 students. Comparable child/adolescent focus and school-channel referral relationships, but delivers care embedded in schools rather than from a private office.

Broad incumbents

• Lyra Health: Enterprise mental health benefits platform offering therapy and coaching for employees and dependents. Comparable in addressing anxiety and family/child needs but at national employer-benefits scale rather than community private practice.
• Talkspace: National online therapy subscription platform serving adults and adolescents. Comparable telehealth delivery and broad anxiety offerings, but as a tech-enabled incumbent rather than a specialist private practice.

Others

• Alma: Network and infrastructure platform helping independent therapists accept insurance, manage practices, and access referrals. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but enables many of the same solo/small-practice clinicians that Compassionate Counseling competes against for clients.
• Headway: Network that helps therapists accept insurance and grow their caseloads. Relevant given Compassionate Counseling's cash-pay model — Headway-built competitors in the same geography may increasingly accept insurance and undercut on out-of-pocket cost.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Compassionate Counseling