GROW Counseling Joins ARC Health

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, Nov. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — ARC Health, a Thurston Group portfolio company, announces the acquisition of GROW Counseling (GROW), a mental health group with multiple locations across the Atlanta metroplex, including Alpharetta, Buckhead, Marietta, Peachtree City, and Suwanee. This acquisition also includes the integration of the GROW Counseling Network, expanding its service footprint into both the United States and Canada.

Established by Wendy Dickinson Ragland, a licensed psychologist with a Ph.D., GROW began its journey in 2007. Since its inception, it has been a pioneering force in the mental health field, providing a comprehensive array of therapeutic services for individuals of all ages. Their team of dedicated professionals specializes in individual, couples, and group therapy, addressing a wide spectrum of concerns such as anxiety, depression, stress, relationships, trauma, addiction, and more. At the heart of their mission is the guidance of clients towards their best selves, with a distinctive focus on collaborative teamwork, particularly in challenging situations like addiction and high-conflict dynamics. This approach ensures that clients receive unwavering support for personal and familial growth.

Given GROW’s extensive team and mission, they’ve created a separate entity, GROW Counseling Network (GCN), a unique and innovative platform that partners with employers in providing mental health support. GCN’s network consists of therapists in 46 states which provide the accessibility and flexibility to create programs for employer groups that solve specific needs, problems, and concerns that traditional EAP services are unable to address. They leverage HR resources that companies already provide while filling gaps and offering solutions for higher level, more clinically driven care.

Vince Morra, ARC Health’s CEO, stated, “Our partnership with Wendy, GROW and GCN underscores our dedication to elevating mental health care, prioritizing client well-being, and enhancing provider capabilities. Welcoming Wendy and her team to ARC Health is an exciting step given their breadth and depth within the market.”

This transaction was facilitated by Mertz Taggart, a healthcare-focused M&A advisory firm, headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida.

About ARC Health

ARC Health is a premier group of mental healthcare practices who have come together as partners while maintaining their individual identities. Their forward-thinking and supportive partnership of mental healthcare providers is geared toward increasing success via a collaborative network. The ARC Health business model is pioneering the space with a unified, provider-centric approach that reinforces clinical autonomy while also joining together as equity-owning partners.

About Thurston Group

Thurston Group is a private equity firm that focuses on building industry-leading companies in the healthcare and related business services sectors. Thurston has an extensive track record of partnering with physicians and building fast-growing healthcare businesses, including ARC Health, Smile Doctors, US Endo Partners, US Oral Surgery Management, South Georgia Dental Management, Gen4 Dental Partners, Options Medical Weight Loss, and U.S. Orthopedic Partners. Over its 37-year history, Thurston Group has returned more than $4B of invested capital.

ARC Health

GROW Counseling

Thurston Group

SOURCE: ARC Health

Contact: Leigh LeGare 
[email protected]

SOURCE ARC Health


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