What authentic connections counseling center does

Authentic Connections Counseling Center is a privately held, founder-owned group counseling practice headquartered at 401 South Wilcox St., Suite 101, Castle Rock, Colorado, founded by Dawn Gabriel in 2015. The practice delivers in-person therapy in Castle Rock and surrounding Douglas County communities (Castle Pines, Parker, Larkspur, Lone Tree, Franktown, Elizabeth, Monument) and online therapy statewide across Colorado through the Theranest client portal. Its clinical team of approximately 8 therapists plus a Client Care Coordinator offers individual, couples, family, child, and teen counseling across roughly two dozen specialty service lines, including anxiety, depression, trauma/PTSD, grief, neurodiversity-affirming counseling, Christian counseling, premarital counseling, adoption support, prenatal/postpartum support, and niche offerings for first responders, healthcare workers, and military families. Core specialized modalities include EMDR, Brainspotting, CBT, DBT, IFS, EFT, and Synergetic Play Therapy, with a distinctive outdoor "Therapy Outside" / Trail Therapy format and a Therapy Intensives week-long package priced at $880-$1,000.

The business is operated on a private-pay, fee-for-service model: the practice is out-of-network with insurers, clients pay per session and receive superbills for reimbursement, and therapists are W-2 employees. Therapy Intensives are sold as one-time packages (HSA/FSA eligible). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, supported by a 15-minute free consultation scheduled via Calendly and matched to therapists by a Client & Community Engagement Coordinator, with a content-led SEO/blog engine and a Google Business Profile driving organic discovery. Community engagement runs through founder Dawn Gabriel's role as Chairwoman of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce Board and her founding of the Castle Rock Therapist Connection monthly clinician meetup, which functions as both a referral pipeline and a soft recruiting channel. Ancillary revenue includes CE trainings, speaking, and webinars delivered under the "Soul Care for Therapists" sub-brand.

The practice has no external investors, no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Operating geography is exclusively Colorado. Sub-brands include Castle Rock Therapist Connection (clinician community) and Soul Care for Therapists (professional education). The practice is actively hiring and operating Monday-Saturday, 8 am to 8 pm.

Name

authentic connections counseling center

Legal name

Authentic Connections Counseling Center

Website

https://authenticconnectionscounseling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Authentic Connections Counseling Center is a privately held group counseling practice in Castle Rock, Colorado, delivering in-person and statewide online therapy to children, teens, adults, couples, and families on a private-pay basis using modalities including EMDR, Brainspotting, IFS, and play therapy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Counseling Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Outpatient Mental Health Clinics & Counseling Centers (HLAFACAA)

Keywords

• Mental health counseling
• Couples therapy
• Trauma therapy
• Online counseling
• Faith-based therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Castle Rock

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Pay Therapy Services: Fee-for-service model where clients pay out-of-pocket. Practice provides superbills for insurance reimbursement as out-of-network provider.
2. Therapy Intensives: Concentrated week-long therapy packages for individuals and couples, priced between $880-$1,000. Includes intake, extended sessions, and follow-up.
3. Speaking & Training: CE trainings, speaking engagements, and webinars for therapists, organizations, and churches led by Founder Dawn Gabriel

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Authentic Connections Counseling Center is a privately held group counseling practice delivering in-person therapy at its Castle Rock, Colorado office and statewide online therapy across Colorado. The practice offers individual, couples, child, teen, and family counseling with specialties spanning anxiety, depression, trauma/PTSD, grief, neurodiversity, faith-based Christian counseling, and occupational support for first responders, military families, and healthcare workers. Distinct clinical modalities include EMDR, Brainspotting, Play Therapy, and Trail Therapy (outdoor nature-based sessions), with concentrated Therapy Intensives available as multi-day packages.

Product overview

Authentic Connections Counseling Center is a group counseling practice offering a unified portfolio of in-person therapy services at its Castle Rock, Colorado location and online therapy across the entire state of Colorado. The core offering consists of individual, couples, and family therapy across a broad range of specialties (anxiety, depression, trauma/PTSD, child, teen, couples, grief, neurodiversity, and faith-based Christian counseling). Specialized treatment modalities include EMDR Therapy and Brainspotting Therapy, offered as distinct clinical approaches. The center also provides Therapy Intensives — extended one-week programs for individuals and couples — as well as niche services such as Trail Therapy (outdoor counseling), Prenatal & Postpartum Support, Military Families, First Responders, Healthcare Workers, Adoption Counseling, and Spiritual Direction. All services are delivered exclusively by licensed and pre-licensed therapists; the practice operates as a private-pay model without insurance billing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Castle Rock Therapist Connection: A monthly in-person meet-up group for therapists in the South Denver and Castle Rock area, founded by Dawn Gabriel to provide peer connection, networking, and professional support for local clinicians.
• Soul Care for Therapists

Products and services

• Anxiety Treatment Evidence-based counseling helping clients recognize underlying problems, realize their strengths, and adjust behaviors to live more freely. Targeted at individuals experiencing anxiety.
• Depression Treatment Therapeutic support for depression offering healing and hope, tailored to each client's individual experience.
• Couples Counseling (Marriage Counseling) Couples and marriage counseling helping partners regain intimacy, connection, and healthier relationship patterns.
• Trauma & PTSD Treatment Trauma-focused therapy helping clients work through challenging emotions and memories to achieve freedom from what keeps them stuck.
• Child Therapy Play-based therapy for children and adolescents tailored to developmental stage, using creativity to help kids express feelings and heal.
• Teen Counseling Counseling for tweens and teens helping them express difficult feelings and develop skills to feel happy and make healthy choices.
• EMDR Therapy Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, an evidence-based approach utilizing the brain's natural healing ability to resolve unprocessed trauma.
• Brainspotting Therapy Brain-body-based therapy that helps access and release deep emotional and physical experiences by identifying specific points in the visual field connected to stored pain.
• Neurodiversity Counseling Neurodiversity-affirming counseling supporting individuals on the autism spectrum, with ADHD, learning disabilities, and related conditions.
• Grief Counseling Compassionate counseling for processing grief and loss, exploring emotions, and finding ways to rebuild life after bereavement.
• Christian Counseling Counseling integrating Christian faith perspectives while respecting each client's individual faith journey.
• Online Therapy in Colorado Virtual therapy sessions offered state-wide to all Colorado residents, providing the same quality of care as in-person sessions.
• Therapy Intensives Extended, concentrated therapy sessions across one focused week for individuals and couples, with intentional breaks for integration; priced $880-$1,000 self-pay.
• Therapy Outside (Trail Therapy) Outdoor counseling combining walking and therapy to strengthen the connection between mind and body in nature.
• Premarital Counseling Counseling preparing couples for marriage by exploring tension areas and developing tools to handle future conflict.
• Counseling for Military Families Counseling for military families addressing the unique hardships, duties, and experiences associated with military life.
• Counseling for First Responders Specialized therapy helping first responders navigate trauma impacts on daily experiences and relationships.
• Counseling for Healthcare Workers Therapy addressing the emotional weight and professional demands experienced by healthcare workers.
• Burnout Prevention Therapy Therapeutic support for recognizing and addressing burnout symptoms before they worsen.
• Adoption Counseling Support for families through the emotionally complex adoption journey, addressing intense feelings at every stage.
• Prenatal & Postpartum Support Counseling for women and couples navigating pregnancy, prenatal, and postpartum periods.
• Therapy for Men Specialized counseling helping men build strengths, address challenges, and develop healthy emotional expression.
• Women in Midlife Therapy Counseling helping women reconnect with themselves, manage stress, and find clarity during midlife transitions.
• Spiritual Direction Guidance and discernment of God's presence during the therapeutic journey, fostering deeper spiritual connection.
• Speaking & Training (Soul Care for Therapists) CE trainings, speaking engagements, webinars, and therapist intensives led by Founder Dawn Gabriel focused on burnout prevention, spiritual formation, and soul care for mental health professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free 15-minute consultation offered to all prospective clients
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Castle Rock Chamber of CommercecoreOthersAuthentic Connections is a proud member and active participant in the local business community. Founder Dawn Gabriel serves as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Two Chairs: Outpatient mental health group practice operating multiple clinic locations plus telehealth, with a strong internal matching and outcomes-tracking model. Comparable to Authentic Connections in client matching infrastructure and therapy intensity offerings.
• Ellie Mental Health: Multi-state outpatient mental health group practice with a franchised growth model serving individuals, couples, families, and children across a broad specialty set. Closely comparable to Authentic Connections in modality diversity, client segments, and group-practice operating model.
• Thriveworks Counseling: Multi-state group private practice offering in-person and online counseling for individuals, couples, families, teens, and children. Directly comparable to Authentic Connections in service mix (anxiety, depression, trauma, couples, child therapy) and group-practice delivery model, though at much larger national scale.
• Octave: Outpatient mental health group practice delivering in-person and virtual therapy for individuals and couples with a focus on measurement-based care. Comparable group-practice model with overlapping clinical specialties and a hybrid in-person/online delivery structure.

Broad incumbents

• Lyra Health: Employer-sponsored mental health platform providing in-person and online therapy plus coaching to employees of large enterprises. Competes for the same clinical talent pool and serves a portion of the same client needs as Authentic Connections via telehealth.
• BetterHelp: Largest direct-to-consumer online therapy subscription platform offering individual, couples, and teen counseling. Overlaps with Authentic Connections on the online therapy and consumer self-pay dimensions and competes for the same Colorado client demand.
• LifeStance Health: Large publicly-traded outpatient behavioral health network offering psychiatric, psychological, and counseling services across dozens of states. Same core outpatient mental health category as Authentic Connections, but operates at vastly greater scale and accepts insurance.

Emerging players

• Brightside Health: Telehealth mental health company focused on anxiety and depression treatment via online therapy plus medication management. Comparable overlap on anxiety, depression, and trauma treatment delivered online to a self-pay / insurance-mixed client base.
• Talkspace: Online therapy platform offering individual, couples, and teen therapy via a national telehealth network. Direct overlap with Authentic Connections' couples, teen, and online therapy services, though delivered through a platform rather than a community-anchored local practice.

Others

• Headway: Insurance billing and credentialing platform that enables independent and group mental health practices to go in-network with major payers. Relevant adjacent infrastructure that, if adopted, could materially expand Authentic Connections' addressable market beyond the current out-of-network model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/authentic-connections-counseling-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 authentic connections counseling center