CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion

What CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion does

CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion (CMC) is a research institution and clinical program operating within the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a public safety-net health system affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Malden, Massachusetts, CMC integrates evidence-based mindfulness and compassion interventions into primary care, with clinical services delivered as insurance-reimbursable Group Medical Visits (CPT 99213) to Massachusetts residents referred through CHA primary care providers. The organization operates a three-pillar model spanning clinical innovation, professional training, and scientific research, serving patients with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, opioid use disorder, PTSD, and stress-related conditions.

CMC's product portfolio centers on the Mindful Behavior Change (MBC) 8-week program — a trauma-informed curriculum formerly known as MTPC, Mindful-PC, and MTLW — alongside established modalities including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), the PARTS Internal Family Systems protocol for PTSD, and the 24-week M-ROCC program for opioid use disorder. The CHAMindWell digital wellness platform offers free community and connected pathways (including a Spanish-language version) to CHA patients and employees. Specialized programs include the Heartwood BIPOC Mindfulness Community and VOICES community-based participatory research initiative addressing culturally responsive contemplative practice. Professional training is delivered through the MBCT Teacher Training Intensive and MBC Group Leader Training, with certification pathways extending to UC San Diego and the Centre for Mindfulness Studies.

Revenue is generated through four streams: insurance-billed clinical services, sliding-scale course fees ($360-$725 for MBC), tiered professional training fees ($995-$1,895), and a diversified research grant portfolio from federal agencies (NCCIH, NIDA, CDC, NIH NCI, NIH Common Fund) and philanthropic foundations (Arthur Vining Davis, Arnold P. Gold, Osher, Mind & Life, Russell Berrie, Foundation for Self Leadership). CMC has published landmark research including a JAMA study demonstrating a 67 percent reduction in opioid craving. The organization does not disclose financial information, and operates without equity or venture capital funding as a nonprofit research center within CHA's governance structure.

Name

CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion

Legal name

CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion

Website

https://chacmc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion is a nonprofit research and clinical program within Cambridge Health Alliance that delivers evidence-based mindfulness and compassion interventions — including MBC, MBSR, MBCT, PARTS, and M-ROCC — to Massachusetts primary care patients, trains healthcare professionals, and conducts federally funded research on mental health, chronic pain, and addiction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (62133)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

General Mental Health Therapy Platforms (Talk Therapy) (HLALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Guided Meditation Instruction (1:1 & Group) (HSADAJAA), Meditation Apps, Digital Courses & Online Communities (HSADAJAH), Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE) (EDAGANAJ), Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) & Public Behavioral Health Providers (HLAFACAI)

Keywords

• Mindfulness-based therapy
• Clinical mindfulness programs
• Professional mindfulness training
• Behavioral health research
• Integrative mental health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Malden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance-reimbursable clinical services: Clinical mindfulness groups are billed to insurance as Group Medical Visits (code 99213), making programs accessible to patients with health coverage.
2. Course fees for 8-week programs: Sliding-scale pricing for MBC and other 8-week courses, with rates ranging from $360 (assisted) to $725 (supporting), plus standard rates at $540.
3. Professional training fees: Group Leader Training programs and Teacher Training Intensives generate revenue through tiered registration fees ranging from $995 to $1,895 depending on timing and eligibility.
4. Research grants and philanthropy: Funded by federal agencies (NCCIH, NIDA, CDC, NIH), foundations (Arthur Vining Davis, Arnold P. Gold, Osher, Mind & Life), and charitable donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CMC develops and delivers evidence-based mindfulness and compassion programs through three integrated arms: clinical services (Mindful Mental Health Service groups, PARTS, M-ROCC), professional training (MBC Group Leader Training, MBCT Teacher Training Intensive, fellowships), and scientific research funded by NIH, NCCIH, NIDA, and CDC. The organization sells insurance-reimbursable 8-week MBC and MBSR courses, multi-day teacher training intensives, and fellowship pathways, while also operating free community programs such as Heartwood for BIPOC populations and the CHAMindWell digital wellness platform.

Product overview

CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion (CMC) is a research institution and clinical training center integrated into Cambridge Health Alliance's Department of Psychiatry, affiliated with Harvard Medical School. The organization offers a multi-tiered portfolio of mindfulness and compassion-based programs: Mindful Behavior Change (MBC) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as the core 8-week therapeutic programs; Mindful Mental Health Service providing clinical groups in primary care settings; CHAMindWell as a free digital wellness platform with Community and Connected paths; PARTS using Internal Family Systems for trauma treatment; and Heartwood BIPOC Mindfulness Community for culturally-responsive gatherings. VOICES is their community-based participatory research initiative. Professional offerings include MBCT Teacher Training Intensive, MBC Group Leader Training, and three fellowship tracks (Research, Clinical Support, Community Health), plus an IFS Research Fellowship. The organization is distinguished by its insurance-reimbursable clinical programs, extensive research portfolio (including neuroimaging, opioid use disorder, migraine, and trauma studies), and commitment to training healthcare professionals in evidence-based mindfulness interventions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mindful Behavior Change (MBC)

Quantifiable outcome

• 67 percent reduction in opioid craving
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA)coreOthersParent healthcare system; CMC is integrated into CHA Department of Psychiatry. CHA provides clinical infrastructure, staffing, insurance billing, and institutional affiliation with Harvard Medical School.
• Brown UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through Mindfulness Research Collaborative; Eric Loucks directs Brown's Mindfulness Center; joint research on mindfulness and cardiovascular health.
• University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in Mindfulness Research Collaborative.
• Massachusetts General HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on neuroimaging research with Gaelle Desbordes at MGH/HST Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging; study of mindfulness neural mechanisms.
• Georgetown UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in Mindfulness Research Collaborative.
• Lesley UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder of VOICES project; collaboration on community-based participatory research.
• UC San Diego, Centers for Integrative HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for MBCT certification pathway; participants can pursue full certification through UCSD.
• Centre for Mindfulness Studies (Toronto, Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for MBCT certification pathway.
• Brown University (Professional Education)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommended provider for MBCT and MBSR courses required for training prerequisites.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Lyra Health: Lyra Health is a mental health benefits platform delivering therapy, coaching, and mindfulness content through employer-sponsored plans. Comparable to CMC in combining insurance-reimbursed mental health delivery with mindfulness offerings, though Lyra operates at national scale with significant venture funding.
• Modern Health: Modern Health is a global mental health platform offering therapy, coaching, and meditation content through employer benefits. Like CMC, it integrates mindfulness-based interventions into covered mental health care, and its employer distribution parallels CMC's growing professional training arm.
• Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute: Search Inside Youself is a mindfulness and emotional intelligence training organization offering professional programs similar to CMC's MBCT Teacher Training and MBC Group Leader Training. Both monetize evidence-based mindfulness curricula through corporate and individual training fees.
• BetterUp: BetterUp is a mental health and coaching platform offering mindfulness and well-being coaching to enterprises and individuals. While more coaching-oriented than CMC's clinical model, it competes for the same employer/B2B mindfulness training budgets and benefits markets that CMC's teacher training pathways target.

Broad incumbents

• Talkspace: Talkspace is an established online therapy platform serving insured and self-pay clients nationally. While not mindfulness-specialized, it competes for the same insurance-reimbursed telepsychiatry/talk therapy demand that CMC's Mindful Mental Health Service addresses in the Massachusetts market.

Direct peers

• Calm: Calm is a leading consumer mindfulness and meditation app offering guided meditations, sleep content, and mental wellness programs. It competes with CMC's CHAMindWell and online MBSR/MBCT courses for individual users and has recently expanded into employer and health plan channels, paralleling CMC's integration with insurance reimbursement.
• Osher Center for Integrative Medicine (Harvard/BWH): The Osher Center at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital is a direct peer and partner: both deliver integrative medicine programs combining mindfulness with clinical care, conduct research on mind-body interventions, and offer professional training. Osher has provided seed grants to CMC and shares overlapping faculty and patient populations.
• Brown Mindfulness Center: Brown's Mindfulness Center (directed by Eric Loucks) is a direct peer through CMC's collaboration on the Mindfulness Research Collaborative and offers MBSR/MBCT teacher training. Both centers operate university-affiliated mindfulness research and training programs with overlapping curriculum and faculty networks.
• Headspace Health: Headspace (now Headspace Health after merging with Ginger) is a direct competitor in digital mindfulness and mental health, offering app-based meditation and on-demand therapy/coaching with insurance and employer channels. Comparable to CMC in combining mindfulness content with clinical-grade mental health delivery, but at vastly greater scale and with broader geographic reach.
• UMass Center for Mindfulness: The UMass Center for Mindfulness, founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, created MBSR and runs MBSR teacher training pathways comparable to CMC's MBCT Teacher Training Intensive. Both institutions train healthcare professionals in evidence-based mindfulness, publish peer-reviewed research, and license curricula nationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cha_cmc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion