We are so happy to finally be able to share that Midwest Counseling & Diagnostics is now officially an Employee-Owned organization! Over the past year, we have been quietly working through the long, detailed, and sometimes tedious process of becoming an employee-owned practice. 

This new structure allows employees to become share-holding owners of the company in a way that provides a long-term financial benefit. Shares are allocated over time and grow in value as the company grows, which means that the people doing the everyday work of this practice now also hold a real and tangible stake in its long-term health. Ownership, in this model, is about shared investment and shared responsibility over time.

While there are hundreds of employee-owned companies across the U.S., the move remains rare in the Chicagoland area and we are among only a small handful of orgnizations to take this step.

The broader record for employee-owned businesses is encouraging. Studies show that employee ownership on average sees stronger job stability, slower turnover, and better protection of pay; even through economic downturns. Employee-owners also tend to experience real long-term benefits with retirement accounts that can grow significantly over time.

This decision did not happen quickly. It grew out of months of conversation about the future of this practice, about sustainability, and what it means to build something we want to last without losing what made it feel like home in the first place. Our values of warmth, integrity, humility, community, and mutuality have been the steady background of those conversations.

For us, employee ownership makes sense because it matches how we already understand our work. Midwest has never truly belonged to one person in the ways that matter most. It has always been shaped by clinicians, leadership, support staff, clients, and our provider partners that contribute their energy and compassion. This structure allows us to actualize these existing values.

Warmth shows up in how we treat one another when the work is heavy and when it is joyful. Integrity shows up in the slow decisions that cost something. Humility shows up in shared leadership and in the recognition that no single person holds the whole picture. Community shows up in the fact that this practice is held by many hands. Mutuality shows up in the understanding that what we build together should also take care of the people building it. This new model gives these values a lasting built-in structure.