One of the most important and complicated issues in today's rapidly changing healthcare system is mental health. The global surge in anxiety, depression, trauma-related illnesses, and drug abuse—exacerbated by social isolation, unstable economies, and recurrent global crises—has illuminated deep gaps in access, quality, and customization within traditional mental health systems. While telehealth has become an essential means of accessing treatment, many providers still fail to deliver truly comprehensive, inclusive, and flexible support that considers the whole person rather than just the mind.

In 2021, psychiatrist Dr. Craig Beach founded Open Mind Health (OMH), a totally virtual mental health service that combines complementary healing techniques, psychiatric treatment, and talk therapy. With 21 personalized Wellness Tracks, a strong emphasis on the mind-body-spirit connection, and culturally affirming treatment, OMH is revolutionizing the way mental health is provided in the digital age.

Interview Highlights

In an exclusive interview, we spoke with Dr. Craig Beach to explore the origins, philosophy, and future of OMH—and how this visionary organization is redefining mental health treatment for a changing world.

Dr. Beach, Open Mind Health (OMH) was founded in 2021 with a mission to provide holistic mental telehealth care. Could you share the pivotal moment or realization that inspired you to establish OMH, and how your personal and professional experiences shaped its foundational principles?

My parents worked in the mental health field, and I have a brother with schizophrenia. I also gained firsthand experience by volunteering at a mental health hospital as a teenager. Since completing my psychiatry residency at Columbia University, I have worked as a psychiatrist for over 20 years in both Canada and the United States. Throughout my career, I have witnessed significant disparities in the availability and quality of treatment options for specific populations and conditions, as well as a lack of complementary and alternative approaches to healing.

The pivotal moment for me to launch Open Mind Health came during the pandemic. I saw how many people couldn't even get access to basic mental health care during COVID-19, and I decided to do something about it. I founded Open Mind Health, a 100% virtual company, to increase accessibility and optimize individual treatment through a combination of talk therapy and complementary and alternative modalities.

OMH emphasizes a 'mind-body-spirit' approach to mental wellness. How does this philosophy differentiate your services from traditional mental health care models, and why do you believe it's essential in today's healthcare landscape?

Western mental health services typically include talk therapy and medication management. At Open Mind Health, we also value alternative healing approaches that recognize the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection for achieving optimal and lasting results. Therefore, we offer complementary modalities such as Reiki, meditation, music therapy, art therapy, among others. Medications alone do not address the root causes of behavioral health conditions, and talk therapy can sometimes be insufficient on its own. By combining Western and alternative therapies, we provide holistic care that optimizes healing, supports personal growth, and enables our clients to become their best selves.

In an industry with numerous telehealth providers, OMH has been recognized among the 'Top Ten Telecare Innovators' by Medhealth Review in 2024. What core values and strategies have propelled OMH to stand out in such a competitive field?

Our values include excellence, radical caring, and the transformative potential of the human spirit. In alignment with these values, we have developed 21 customized Wellness Tracks covering 1) core symptoms, 2) core life domains, and 3) diverse populations. Many of our providers also come from diverse backgrounds, so by offering culturally affirming care, we optimize the fit between the client and the provider.

These innovations have enabled us to attract expert providers who specialize in many holistic care approaches. Given our expertise, Open Mind Health is frequently a media go-to. For example, since 2024, we have had over 45 articles published in outlets like Forbes, Vogue, Huffington Post, Psychology Today, among many others.

From family and individual therapy to alternative treatments like music and art therapy, OMH provides a variety of services. What part do these alternative therapies play in holistic healing, and how can you make sure that every client's treatment plan is genuinely customized?

We work with each client individually to determine the best holistic treatment plan. We often begin by utilizing one or more of our customized Wellness Tracks. For example, if someone initially comes to us for help with an addictive behavior like heavy drinking, we may start them on the Altering Addictions and Becoming Balanced Wellness Track to reduce or eliminate alcohol use. Medication and alternative therapies, such as meditation, may also be employed for a period to reduce anxiety and improve sleep. As part of the treatment plan, it may become clear that alcohol was simply a coping mechanism for untreated trauma, so we might consider transitioning them to our Transcending Trauma Wellness Track and engaging in evidence-guided trauma work. In this example, you can see how a more focused approach with room for customization better addresses the roots of the underlying issues, enabling deeper emotional processing and quicker recovery.

The 'PIVOT' Wellness Track is designed to improve mental toughness in the face of turbulence. Could you provide more details on the creation of this program and the particular difficulties it helps clients deal with while they are going through uncertain times?

The PIVOT (Planning in the Volatility of our Times) Wellness Track was initially created during COVID when many people were having difficulty dealing with the isolation and disruption of the pandemic. Many of our clients were languishing and needed support overcoming adversity and building resiliency. Even though the urgency of the pandemic has passed, many other ongoing global situations can be triggering, including natural disasters, political turmoil, and economic uncertainty.  The PIVOT Wellness Track helps to improve our clients' psychological resilience while adapting to the challenges of an ever-changing world.

You've been honored as one of the 'Top 50 Digital Health Entrepreneurs of 2024' and listed in Marquis' Who's Who for 2024. How have these accolades influenced your leadership approach and the strategic direction of OMH?

These awards would not have been possible without the shared passion and tireless commitment to providing high-quality care from our entire OMH team. The accolades have propelled us to strive for excellence.  We treat every day as an opportunity to ensure that our clients have the best experience possible in every interaction at OMH, whether with their therapist or a customer care representative. Evidence that we are fulfilling our mission is reflected in our 1700 respondents to our 2024 customer satisfaction survey: 94% of our clients rated their level of connection and comfort with their Open Mind Health provider as excellent or very good. We take great pride in these results.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for OMH in the next five years, particularly in terms of expanding services, integrating new technologies, or reaching underserved populations?

We aspire to utilize technology to improve access and offer between–session support and care. Our partnership with NeuroFlow enables our clients to engage with our Wellness Tracks, care journeys, educational video content, and journaling to optimize their mental health. It also allows our providers to track clients’ ongoing treatment progress for conditions such as anxiety and depression. Our clients’ care plans can be fine-tuned in real-time.

Would you like us to highlight something important happening in your company that we may have missed asking about?

Open Mind Health has become a leader in combining holistic quality treatments with technology to optimize culturally affirming care. In addition to our partnership with NeuroFlow, we have recently partnered with two AI technology companies, OneaiHealth and Kore.ai.

OneaiHealth enables us to offer our clients Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) - a new, innovative service designed to enhance care and provide our clinical team with valuable insights into our clients' health between appointments. It enables tracking for symptoms, therapy adherence, and treatment response without needing a monitoring device - all while clients continue their daily routines. Clients receive daily communication related to their care on topics like anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Clients benefit through ongoing support between visits, leading to better health outcomes as early identification of issues allows for timely adjustments to care plans.

Kore.ai is a customized program that enables us to get to know our clients more holistically before treatment even begins. We can determine which care modalities and Wellness Tracks might be most appropriate and ensure that we initially match clients to the best provider(s) for their needs while ensuring culturally affirming care. 

About | Dr. Craig Beach

Dr. Craig Beach is a renowned psychiatrist and the founder and CEO of Open Mind Health (OMH). Dr. Beach founded OMH in 2021 after recognizing the disparity in the availability and quality of treatment options for specific populations and conditions and the lack of offerings in complementary and alternative approaches to healing. He believes the mind-body-spirit connection is essential to achieve lasting results. ​

Dr. Beach obtained his medical degree from McMaster University and completed his Psychiatry residency at Columbia University. He also received a Master of Science in Forensic Mental Health at King's College London. Dr. Beach’s awards include being an Honored Listee for Marquis 2024 Who's Who and The Top 50 Digital Health Entrepreneurs of 2024 for Great Entrepreneurs.

“We treat every day as an opportunity to ensure that our clients have the best experience possible in every interaction at OMH, whether with their therapist or a customer care representative.”