Having purchased the new domain name for $4000, TherapistFinder.net currently contains listings for about 120 mental health professionals in Illinois.

“Four years ago when we started this, people were just using the Internet for entertainment,” TherapistFinder.net CEO C.J. Newton told ePrairie. “There really weren’t comprehensive directories of community services. I don’t think people thought to look for them.”

Based in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, Newton founded the company in 1996 on $12,000 made up of $2000-4000 individual contributions from friends and family. Newton also sold his truck and worked as a therapist on the side until August to help keep the site alive. As a therapist, Newton performed psycho-educational assessments and co-founded the Institute for ADD and Learning.

“When I was a therapist, we had a hotline service and people would call everyday asking questions, but we couldn’t answer them all.” said Newton. “When I first saw the Internet, I said ‘Wow, this tool is perfect for providing information where people need it.’ The service just did not exist anywhere.”

The site is free to individuals seeking mental health resources and since no registration is required for use, no personal information is collected. Revenues are generated primarily via the $300 annual fee therapists pay for a listing and a personalized web page.

“TherapistFinder.net is designed to make selecting a therapist easy and marketing your practice inexpensive," said Chicago-based psychiatrist Dr. Patricia Mueller. “It is providing information in a place where people are actively searching for it.”

Chris Cox, the intake coordinator for Chicago-based Midwest Family Resources, said her organization as also received a lot of referrals, but not many of the right kind.

"A lot of the referrals are somewhat out of state in Arizona, Texas, and elsewhere," Cox said. "[Using TherapistFinder.net] has been a positive experience, but we don't currently have therapists in other states outside Illinois."

While TherapistFinder.net continues to focus on providing information and resources, another Chicago company, MyTherapy Network, enables individuals to connect with therapists as part of a $3.95 per minute phone service. The service launched today in California and Florida, with Illinois service slated to begin Monday.

"We are not a directory," said MyTherapy Network CEO Ralph Musicant. "We are a therapy service on a national basis, with 500 therapists under contract."

Both Newton and Musicant agreed that Web-based therapy sessions are not in the best interests of the patient.

"You can’t deliver therapy by typing letters back and forth," Newton said. "I just don’t believe that that is therapeautic. There is so much you get about a person’s health and wellness by looking at them. It's just not possible by getting from what they type."

"Online therapy is an additional step removed from in-office treatment," Musicant said. "It gives the individual a chance to edit their answer. Eventually, you’ll be able to do real-time therapy online via streaming audio and video, but it’s not there yet."

Staffed by three full-time employees and a network of subcontractors, TherapistFinder.net has raised no other investment or venture capital since the original $12,000. Newton confirmed the company is looking for additional investors, though.

In the meantime, Newton is continuing to grow TherapistFinder.net and put his energy behind other social entrepreneurial projects. In addition to starting the CommunityResources.net portal for Chicago-area non-profits, Newton has helped author content in conjunction with this month’s Domestic Violence Awareness theme.

“My parents were hippies, but it’s not just that I wanted to do good … I believe this is a completely un-served market,” Newton said. “The fact that we have been getting therapists to pay for TherapistFinder.net and make it profitable is just great. A lot of people need help and don’t know where to get it.”