Ever After Therapy: Two Sisters' Journey in Building Accessible Mental Health Care

During the pandemic, everything changed.?

As a clinician, I went from 100% in person sessions to 100% remote nearly overnight, navigating learning new ways of delivering care. For my sister Emily Daubenmire , she went from being an educator, events organizer and a new mom living all the way across the country, to moving home to help take care of our family as we weathered the storm with our medically vulnerable family members who needed help during a worldwide health event.?

Fortunately for me, she moved her family nearly next door, and we began spending time together almost every day. As we reconnected, we realized we shared strong feelings about the mental health landscape and saw unmet needs impacting both therapists and clients.

As we first envisioned Ever After Therapy, we knew we wanted to create both a place for therapists to thrive as well as a healing environment for our clients and community . Little did we know that our shared passion for mental health and our complementary strengths would lead us to build an organization dedicated to empowering individuals, families, and future therapists.

?Building Ever After as siblings allowed us to lean on each other’s strengths, trust implicitly, and shape a company that feels like an extension of our family.

A Shared Vision

As we became adults and ventured into our careers, my sister and I witnessed firsthand the challenges that mental health issues and lack of access can present in our friends, family and communities. These experiences instilled in us a deep commitment to fostering a supportive environment where everyone has access to the care they need. We found that combining my experience in mental health care and her experience in organizational administration, we would be a perfect fit to establish Ever After Therapy—a place where high-quality, personalized mental health care covered by the healthcare benefits you already have is not just a privilege but a right.

Complementary Strengths

Our partnership thrives on the unique strengths each of us brings to the table.?

Emily’s experience in organizational development development has been crucial to Ever After’s success. With her background in systems design, data analysis, and healthcare administration, she has streamlined our operational processes to ensure efficiency and accessibility. She’s developed protocols for managing client intake, designed our billing and insurance workflows, and implemented data-driven systems that allow us to measure outcomes and adjust our programs for greater impact.

Her organizational expertise extends to staff training and development. She’s created onboarding processes for new therapists, organized ongoing training in evidence-based practices, and established metrics to track team performance and client satisfaction. By leveraging her skills in administration and data analytics, she’s made Ever After Therapy a well-organized, responsive practice that supports both our clients and our team.

With over 18 years of experience in behavioral and mental health, I bring both extensive therapeutic expertise and a compassionate approach to my work. My journey has included roles as a therapist, clinical supervisor, and director, where I’ve had the privilege of developing programs that prioritize trust, communication, and meaningful change for families and individuals. I’ve led family therapy programs from the ground up and implemented parenting support initiatives, always with a focus on empowering clients to overcome personal and relational challenges.

A significant part of my career has been devoted to mentoring and training aspiring therapists. I believe strongly in preparing the next generation to deliver high-quality, compassionate care, and it’s my mission to equip them with the skills and resilience they need to succeed. I’ve trained therapists one-on-one and in large groups through hands-on workshops, intensive supervision, and evidence-based practices. I prioritize relational insight, clinical empathy, and ethical practice in my mentorship, ensuring that each therapist I train feels confident and prepared to make a meaningful impact.

My motivation to guide new therapists comes from the understanding that exceptional mental health care relies on well-trained, compassionate practitioners. By sharing my knowledge, experiences, and commitment to ethical care, I aim to empower new therapists to create positive, lasting change in their clients’ lives.

Overcoming Challenges Together

Building Ever After Therapy hasn’t been without its challenges. We have built this company together from funding from the ground up, to managing the complexities of healthcare regulations; at times the path forward wasn’t always clear. Our working relationship as well as our bond as sisters provided a foundation of trust and resilience that kept us moving forward. We learned to lean on each other, celebrating our successes and supporting one another through setbacks. This unwavering support has been crucial in turning our vision into reality.

Creating Impact

Today, Ever After Therapy stands as a testament to what can be achieved when passion meets collaboration. We offer exceptional mental health care tailored to individual needs, train aspiring therapists with cutting-edge techniques, and ensure our services are accessible through various health insurance benefits. Our efforts have not only helped countless individuals and families but have also inspired others to join us in advocating for better mental health support.

Looking Ahead

As we continue to grow, our commitment to accessible and quality mental health care remains steadfast. We are excited to expand our programs, reach more communities, and empower even more future therapists. Our journey is a powerful reminder that with the right support and shared vision, we can create meaningful change

Thank you for being a part of our success!

Ever After is seeking funding to expand our programs and broaden our impact in the community. Your investment would directly contribute to making quality mental health services accessible to those who need them most, ensuring that no one faces barriers to care.

If you’re passionate about mental health and want to be part of our journey, we would love to connect. Please reach out to [email protected] to discuss how you can make a difference with us.