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April 3, 2023 / 2023 Top 25 Women In Business

Kristine Schlichting, 2023 Women in Business Honoree

CEO Hopewell Health Solutions Inc. Check out the rest of the 2023 Women in Business Honorees
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Kristine Schlichting, Ph.D., is the CEO of Hopewell Health Solutions, a private mental health group practice.

Schlichting founded the company 12 years ago in a small office in south Glastonbury. The company has grown to more than 25 doctors, nurses, medical providers and therapists, as well as four locations in central Connecticut.

Hopewell Health Solutions provides mental health counseling, psychiatric care and intensive outpatient programs in a privately-owned mental health practice. Hopewell Health provides a collaborative team model to mental health treatment.

What have been your biggest accomplishments so far?

My biggest accomplishment has been overcoming the enormous hurdle of opening a privately-owned intensive outpatient program. The timeline was supposed to be three months and it took 11 months and blood, sweat, tears and cash to make it happen.

The two important people who pushed this accomplishment have been my office manager, Colleen Callaway, and my husband, Dan Zak. The passion for continuing to pursue the program was knowing that adolescents needed a community of healing and we had the resources to provide that.

What’s the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally?

The next goal we are currently on is the development of other specialty intensive outpatient programs for addiction, eating disorders and trauma. We are also opening up a few more locations in Connecticut because the need for excellent mental health services in this state is great.

What’s one of the biggest professional challenges you’ve overcome?

There are two major professional challenges that I am still working on. The first challenge is ironic because I am a psychologist. I definitely get ‘in my head’ with negative thoughts. I know it stems from my childhood and also the business failures I have had in the past. I have failed more times than succeeded and that is okay.

Also, I am a perfectionist and like control. I have learned, or am learning, to let other people take on tasks and responsibilities. I work on these two things every day.

What legacy do you want to leave after your career is over?

Well, I hope my career is never over because this career is my soul’s calling. I get more than I receive every day and I can’t imagine not being a healer.

However, I will eventually not work 80 hours a week and I want to leave a legacy of effective systems for the delivery of mental health. The world of mental health has not changed much over the years, which is paradoxical since as therapists, we are always asking clients to change. The mental health field is long overdue for change and I hope to be an accelerant for that positive change.

Check out the rest of the 2023 Women in Business Honorees

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