About NPA: Our History

In the mid-1970s, Drs. Heller and Pollack created a small group practice whose primary purpose was to share overhead and provide collegial support. Over the years the practice grew slowly and remained informal. Then, as the landscape of healthcare began to undergo significant changes in the late 1980s, mental health services were particularly affected by these changes. Managed care companies created restricted panels limiting whom people could see if they chose to use their insurance. Making a referral and finding a therapist became a significant challenge. In response to these changes, NPA grew significantly in size and structure, designed to make it easier for people to find a good therapist. We chose a partnership-type model in which all members share in the ownership and decision-making. This put the emphasis on attracting highly experienced, successful therapists who would make a long-term commitment to serving the local community. This has brought us to our current organization, which became a Limited Liability Company in January, 1998, and now includes 20 therapists representing the three major mental health disciplines, psychiatry, psychology, and social work.