Salt Lake magazine’s Women Who Move Utah special section is an acclaimed and respected part of our September/October issue. Over the years, we have profiled and spotlighted successful women business leaders and owners across the state of Utah. Here, they share insights into their entrepreneurial journeys so others like them can follow their leads.
For Amy Fehlberg, psychology has always been about relationships.
“I’ve known since I was young that I wanted to help people,” Amy explains. The philosophy inspired her to create Shoreline Psychology, a practice dedicated to exceptional clinical care for children, adolescents, and adults while fostering an environment where therapists can continue to grow. Amy has intentionally built a collaborative team of highly trained clinicians who are committed to lifelong learning, and building meaningful therapeutic relationships. “No matter how experienced the clinician is, if there’s no connection with the patient, progress won’t happen,” she says. Rather than promising quick fixes, Shoreline Psychology encourages individuals to embrace therapy as a process.
As a business owner, Amy is equally passionate about mentoring the next generation of therapists. It’s a simple equation, she says: “When therapists are well taken care of, their patients receive outstanding care.” When Amy discovered a similar commitment to education in a colleague, MJ Jenkins, the two started a series of discussions that led to the creation of The Consultation Room (TCR), an online platform where clinical learning becomes real-world experience. TCR provides training across a range of topics, from working with suicidal individuals to ethical billing.
MJ’s passion for excellence also guides a secondary practice they run with their business partner, Amanda Jenkins. Together, this power team runs Theory and Method, a specialized practice serving adolescents and adults with OCD, trauma, ADHD, and autism. MJ’s expertise in billing and insurance blends with Amanda’s clinical leadership, ultimately helping clients find hope and build a tangible plan toward change.
At its core, Theory and Method is built on the idea of making space for clients to do the harder work of change, and for clinicians to grow into the therapists they want to be. “Hiring and developing clinicians is the single most important thing we do,” Amanda says. “How will this person present in the room? Are they striving to learn and grow?” That investment carries through in how the practice supports its staff, consistent ongoing consultation and education in their specialty areas, plus outside consultants for added perspective.
MJ also works with Amy as part of the Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force, a nationwide collection of providers working to protect access to high-quality mental health care and the individuals who provide it. MJ draws on years of relationships built within the insurance industry to introduce protective legislation for practices like Theory and Method and Shoreline Psychology.
With large venture-capital-backed platforms working to overtake the therapy industry, MJ and Amy want to ensure that there will always be a place for excellent small businesses to provide the highest-quality care in their communities. “People need to be the priority ahead of profit,” explains MJ. While the goal is certainly to run successful businesses, Amy, MJ, and Amanda all center their work on creating safe and meaningful therapy experiences for the individuals whom they serve.
Shoreline Psychology
275 E. South Temple, Ste 340, SLC
801-477-6676
shorelinepsychology.com
The Consultation Room
theconsultationroompd.com
Theory and Method
275 E. South Temple, Ste 340, SLC
3724 Lakeside Dr. Ste 200, Reno NV
775-895-0712
theorymethod.com
