As of this month, Rivia Mind has been in business for a full seven years. We began as a small company with big dreams about empowering our community with accessible healthcare. Today, we continue to maintain our in-person headquarters in New York, and also have expanded to additional satellite offices across the eastern United States. We have also gone from two providers to 100+ individuals who are passionate about helping patients along their mental health journey. We’re grateful for every day of the past seven years and the chance to continue to help as many patients as possible.
But how did it all start? As we celebrate the anniversary of Rivia Mind, let’s take a look at our beginnings.
A Meeting of the Minds
Rivia Mind began with a meeting at a cafe. Co-founders Dana Wang, MD, and Raymond Raad, MD, MPH, were introduced by a friend who believed that they were like-minded individuals when it came to mental health. Dr. Raad recalls,
“We got to chatting about what we wanted to see changed in the field. By the end of that conversation, we realized how much we were aligned in our values. First, we both felt that psychiatry should refocus on combining therapy with med management to build strong long term relationships with patients. We also believed that clinicians, in order to do their best work, need support and education that doesn’t just stop after training, and it’s more exhilarating working in teams to learn from each other. Lastly, we felt that patients often face a lot of financial barriers to good quality care, and we wanted to improve accessibility. So, we decided to be the change we wanted to see in the world, and so Rivia Mind was born!”
Rivia Mind was incorporated in May of 2017 and opened its doors on July 1st of that year. Of course, Rivia Mind didn’t exist like it does today. Dr. Raad says that it took “a lot of trial and error.”
Becoming a Team
Like many businesses, Rivia Mind had to start small. At first, the only employees were Dr. Wang and Dr. Raad. It wasn’t until the beginning of 2018 that they took on their first employee, an administrative team member to lend some much needed support. In the summer of 2018, they hired their first clinical employee, a social worker.
By the end of that year, there were two nurse practitioners, one social worker, and one administrative team member. For the holidays, they went out to dinner as a team to celebrate: the first year that Rivia Mind had officially gathered a team.
An Office Of Our Own
In the beginning years of Rivia Mind, the team worked in-person out of a shared coworking office space. But in July of 2019, they finally moved into an office all their own — though it took some work before it was ready to operate. At first, it was half a floor of empty office space which they converted into eight offices. Dr. Raad’s father was the architect who helped them design the space, and the entire team pitched in.
“It was heartwarming that the entire team pitched in! The team volunteered to stay after hours on a Friday even after a long work week and we gradually moved our furniture to the new space, and then celebrated together.”
Changing With the Times: COVID-19 and Remote Telehealth
Then came the pandemic that changed the world. When COVID-19 began to spread, the Rivia Mind team was monitoring the situation due to the anxieties that many clients brought to their in-person sessions. On March 13, 2020, the New York site temporarily closed its doors as the team made the transition to offering telehealth services.
Though COVID-19 was an obstacle that we all wish hadn’t happened, it also provided an opportunity for growth through telehealth. No longer bound by physical location, Rivia opened satellite offices to nearby states such as New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida. These offices remained running strong even after the New York location opened its doors once again in the summer of 2021, and eventually Rivia also opened a Massachusetts satellite office.
Part of getting through COVID-19 was also keeping the morale of the company itself. Fortunately, this strong community of clinical and operational team members were able to support each other through the hard times. “We tried to uplift everyone’s morale during the pandemic by having fun social events virtually. We had our BYOB book clubs, murder mystery night, secret Santa gift exchange, meditation breaks, and many more.”
By the time in-person meetings resumed, the team had grown to as many as 30 people. They celebrated together, along with their families, the chance to be in the same space once again.
These were tumultuous years, but the Rivia team remained passionate about the work they did, which helped to carry them through. Dr. Wang shares,
“Our clinicians supported the loneliness and isolation people experienced during COVID, and also the anger and frustration they felt during the Black Lives Matter protests and the political instability at the time, plus Asian hate. We also bore witness to the anxiety people felt around vaccines, transition to working from home, then to working hybridly. We were all living through it but also supporting our community at the same time. We felt gratified in the work that we were doing, and this turned into a deeper commitment to create this safe therapeutic space to be a healing force for our communities.”
Addressing the Mental Health Crisis
With rising political tensions, a pandemic, and more news of systemic violence, the mental health crisis that was felt across the world was hardly a surprise but was overwhelming. It was especially troubling for the young adult population, particularly college students. But this was the kind of crisis that Rivia Mind was created to address. Dr. Raad describes,
“Rates of mental illness have been rising among young adults for several years, and these people don’t always have access to care that they can afford and can meet their needs. Colleges, for example, often have mental health services but with limited resources. We were well positioned to help with this population.”
Making Memories
For co-founders Dr. Wang and Dr. Raad, some of the most important, special moments in Rivia Mind’s history have been coming together as a team over the years. Celebrating the work we do is an important part of Rivia Mind’s culture, as is growing together and supporting each other through that.
Forming Partnerships
As the Rivia team grew, the many talented clinicians that joined us had so much to bring to the table. Their experiences helped to shape what Rivia Mind was able to offer to our clients, such as:
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Women’s reproductive mental health care
- Eating disorder treatment
Kimberly Mangla, MD, a reproductive psychiatrist, was able to start the reproductive service line with Rivia Mind. Rachaela Elias, MD, came on as a medical director in 2022, with a background in DBT. Through her work, Rivia Mind was able to start DBT groups for patients who needed them. As more passionate clinicians came on board, the service lines began to grow.
Looking Ahead: The Next Five Years
So where does the Rivia Mind team see themselves going in the next five years? Rivia Mind wants everyone to be a part of co-creating that future.
One thing that’s at the core of what we do is to deliver the best patient experience in mental health care.
In the meantime, Rivia Mind team is here to help with all of your mental healthcare treatment needs and support, just like we have been for the past 7 years. Contact us today to learn more or to find a provider and get started.
