I want to begin by recognizing Dee, Roz, Jackie, and all of the other front-end staff I have interacted with over the past six years at Advanced Psychotherapeutics. They have consistently been a delight to work with and have provided tremendous administrative support as God has used Dr. Pingleton to help me grow into a healthier man and husband.
With regret, I will be leaving this practice and following Dr. Pingleton wherever he ultimately settles. After six years of being a client here, the contrast between my experience under the former leadership and what I have experienced since the transition to Collaborative Health Partners (CHP) could not be more stark.
I was initially excited when I learned CHP had purchased the practice given their ties to LU. Unfortunately, that optimism was short-lived. As of July 31, 2026, Dr. Pingleton is no longer allowed to see patients in the office and was instead limited to telehealth only. My understanding is that this followed his decision to advocate for what he believed was best for his clients rather than simply accepting the new administration's direction. Whatever the internal circumstances, I fully support Dr. Pingleton's decision to stand up for his clients.
I have the highest regard for Dr. Pingleton's faith, professionalism, experience, and expertise. For six years, he has treated me as a person, not a diagnosis or account number. He has offered wisdom, grace, discernment, and genuine care during some of the most important seasons of my life. That kind of relationship is precisely what makes mental health care different from an ordinary medical business transaction.
That is why the manner in which this transition was handled has been so disappointing.
Just this week, I received a generic letter informing me of Dr. Pingleton's upcoming departure from CHP. I was addressed simply as a "patient," with no personal salutation or acknowledgment of the six-year relationship I had with the practice. It was, quite literally, a bulk letter placed in an envelope and mailed to me. The contrast with the personal care I had experienced for years was jarring.
And that contrast matters.
Mental health care involves people who may already be struggling with feeling unseen, forgotten, or insignificant. When a practice that once made those people feel personally known suddenly begins treating them primarily as patients, numbers, or business transactions, something important is lost.
For six years, I experienced this practice as a place where people were treated with grace, understanding, wisdom, and dignity. I believe that personal approach was a significant part of what made the practice successful in the first place.
My concern is that the new executive leadership has no sight of that.
CHP has an opportunity to change course, but it will require more than administrative decisions. It will require recognizing that mental health care is ultimately about PEOPLE. The people sitting in those offices pouring out their hearts are not merely revenue streams. They are human beings who may be coming to you during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
Unless the leadership of CHP makes a clear and meaningful change in that direction, I will remain outspoken about my disappointment and about what I believe has been lost. What was once, in my experience, a place of genuine care and counsel now feels like a business managing patients.
That is a profound loss, and I hope CHP recognizes it before others experience the same thing.
As an added suggestion, if the new CHP leadership is looking for a good picture with how this shift in focus feels, they should go watch the first 60 minutes of the Robin Williams movie "Patch Adams" and take note of the stark contrast between the medical leadership and the need for treating the patients like valued humans that Patch brought to their attention. Just like Patch, I strongly feel that if someone doesn't speak up and act when a problem is observed, how will change ever take place?