Family Guidance Centers

What Family Guidance Centers does

Family Guidance Centers (FGC) is a private mental health group practice founded in 1980 in Chesterfield County, Virginia, where it was the first private practice of its kind. The practice delivers individual, couples, family, child, and adolescent therapy, supplemented by psychological testing and evaluations, specialized play therapy, and an eight-session Chronic Pain Group program that uses cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and meditation techniques to address trauma-related pain. It operates eight physical locations across Central and Eastern Virginia (Chesterfield, Midlothian, Powhatan, Henrico, Glen Allen, Brandermill, Virginia Beach, and Newport News) and offers statewide telehealth via the doxy.me platform, with new patients onboarded through online intake forms and managed via an AdvancedMD patient portal.

The business model is service-based, billed primarily through insurance reimbursement with out-of-pocket payment as a secondary stream; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The practice operates with 60+ licensed, independent therapists who bring diverse clinical specialties, supported by internal insurance credentialing, billing, and administrative infrastructure. Patient acquisition is driven by a combination of community reputation built over 45+ years, physician and school referral relationships, organic social media presence, content marketing via the Guidance Today blog, and local SEO. The firm is privately held with no disclosed investors, parent company, or external funding. Leadership includes Emily McGee (Vice President and Privacy Officer) and Dawn "Misty" Terry (Clinical Director, Powhatan), with Charles McGee, Ph.D. and Emily McGee-Griggs handling recruitment.

The competitive position rests on regional brand equity, sustained consecutive recognition as Virginia Living's Best Counseling or Therapy Practice (2021–2026), Best of Powhatan (2021–2024), Global Health and Pharma Best Family Mental Health Clinical Care Organization (2021–2024), and Style Weekly Family Favorite (2020). The underlying technology stack is deliberately lean and third-party: doxy.me for telehealth video sessions, AdvancedMD for the patient portal and scheduling, and standard website CMS infrastructure. There is no proprietary software, no AI/ML capability, and no disclosed R&D function; differentiation is clinical and reputational rather than technological.

Name

Family Guidance Centers

Legal name

Family Guidance Centers

Website

https://familyguidancecenters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family Guidance Centers is a private mental health group practice founded in 1980, operating eight locations across Virginia with 60+ licensed therapists serving adults, adolescents, children, couples, and families through in-person counseling, telehealth, psychological testing, and play therapy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Counseling Services

NAICS

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

Outpatient Mental Health Clinics & Counseling Centers (HLAFACAA)

Keywords

• Mental health counseling
• Family therapy services
• Telehealth counseling
• Psychological testing
• Play therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesterfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Therapy and Counseling Services: Individual, family, couples, and child therapy services provided by licensed therapists on an appointment basis. Services are billed to insurance or paid out-of-pocket.
2. Psychological Testing and Evaluations: Comprehensive psychological testing services with separate intake processes and billing

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Family Guidance Centers provides individual, couples, child, family, play, and adolescent therapy services delivered by more than 60 licensed therapists across 8 Virginia office locations. The practice also delivers telehealth video counseling via doxy.me, comprehensive psychological testing and evaluations, and a Chronic Pain Group program. Insurance billing and credentialing support are provided, with new patient intake handled through online forms and the AdvancedMD patient portal.

Product overview

Family Guidance Centers is a mental health group practice offering a coordinated suite of clinical services centered around individual and family counseling, telehealth video therapy, psychological testing and evaluations, and play therapy. The practice operates across 8 Virginia locations and serves adults, adolescents, and children. Additional services include a Chronic Pain Group program addressing trauma-related pain conditions. The practice also provides patients with a digital Patient Portal for accessing health information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual + Family Counseling In-person counseling services provided by licensed therapists to adults, adolescents, children, couples, and families addressing a wide range of mental health issues.
• Telehealth Secure video counseling sessions with licensed therapists via doxy.me, accessible statewide in Virginia from any location with internet connectivity, featuring dedicated virtual waiting rooms.
• Testing and Psychological Evaluations Comprehensive psychological testing and assessment services for diagnostic purposes, with dedicated intake forms available for new patients.
• Play Therapy Specialized therapeutic approach using play to help children and adolescents express emotions, process experiences, and develop coping skills.
• Chronic Pain Group An eight-session therapeutic group program focusing on the connection between chronic pain and childhood trauma, utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness, and meditation techniques.
• Patient Portal Secure online portal for current patients to access their health information and schedule appointments, managed through the AdvancedMD platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 45 years of continuous operation since 1980
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Two Chairs: Outpatient mental health group practice offering individual, couples, and family therapy with a clinician-led model. Closely matches FGC's licensed-therapist, group-practice structure and therapy-first service mix.
• Thriveworks: National multi-location mental health group practice combining in-person therapy, psychiatry, and telehealth across U.S. states. Operates the same group-practice model with insurance billing and licensed therapists as FGC, making it the closest format-mirror competitor.
• Ellie Mental Health: Franchise mental health group practice rapidly scaling outpatient therapy clinics across multiple states. Comparable to FGC in core service delivery (outpatient counseling with multiple specialties and credentialed therapists) and in growth through multi-site expansion.

Emerging players

• Grow Therapy: Therapist-network marketplace that helps independent clinicians build practices and accept insurance. Indirectly competes with FGC by routing new patients to independent providers in Virginia rather than to established group practices.
• Alma: Therapist network and practice-support platform with insurance billing infrastructure for independent clinicians. Competes with FGC by empowering solo practitioners with group-practice-grade back-office, including within Virginia.
• Talkspace: Public online therapy and psychiatry platform with insurance-covered virtual sessions. Overlaps FGC on the telehealth therapy segment and on insurance-billed individual/couples counseling, but operates a digital-only model.
• Brightside Health: Online mental health platform focused on therapy and medication management for anxiety and depression. Overlaps FGC on telehealth therapy and is expanding insurance-covered virtual care in Virginia-adjacent markets.

Broad incumbents

• BetterHelp: The largest direct-to-consumer online therapy platform, offering video, chat, and audio counseling nationwide. Competes with FGC specifically for telehealth and self-pay therapy patients who prefer digital-first onboarding.
• LifeStance Health: Largest publicly traded outpatient mental health provider in the U.S., operating hundreds of clinic locations with therapy and psychiatry services. Overlaps directly with FGC on outpatient mental health counseling but at vastly greater national scale and as a diversified platform.
• Headspace Health: Large digital mental health platform (post-Ginger merger) offering therapy, coaching, and psychiatric services via employer and payer channels. Indirect competitor for FGC patients seeking virtual, employer-covered care.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/familyguidancecenters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-guidance-centers-of-chesterfield-and-powhatan
• Instagraminstagram.com/familyguidancecenters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Family Guidance Centers