Celebrating 10 Years of Collaborative Healing: Why We Started—and Why It Still Matters

From Macarena, PsyD, LP & Nicole, PsyD, LP, co-founders of the Center for Collaborative Health (Edina, MN)

Ten years ago, we sat together in a cozy neighborhood restaurant, scribbling ideas on napkins and dreaming about what health care could look like if it truly cared for the whole person. At the time, we were both working as supervisors in a community mental health center, and while we admired each other’s work, we were frustrated by the same truth: clients were left juggling multiple providers who rarely talked to one another. Families carried binders of reports, and people were expected to choose between caring for their mind or their body—as if healing didn’t require both.

That day, we decided to build something different. A place where people could exhale. A place where providers worked as a team. A place where healing meant addressing mind, body, and spirit together. Less than a month later, the Center for Collaborative Health (CCH) was born.

From Humble Beginnings to a Thriving Community

In 2016, it was just the two of us—running therapy sessions by day and doing IT, billing, and marketing by night. We poured in our savings, leaned on friends and family to help build furniture and move boxes, and showed up every day with determination. Slowly, clients came, then another therapist, then another. By 2019, we had outgrown our space.

Then came COVID-19. Like so many, we faced uncertainty—but it also became our defining moment. The pandemic magnified how deeply people were struggling. We knew it was time to expand into what had always been our dream: a fully integrative clinic. We added acupuncture, nutrition counseling, functional medicine, trauma-sensitive yoga, physical therapy, and more. By early 2023, we had expanded our space again, bringing together more than 15 providers who share the same vision of whole-person care.

“We started CCH because we believed the greatest growth happens when people are cared for as whole beings—mind, body, and spirit. Healing shouldn’t feel like a maze. We wanted one door that opened to many paths.” —Nicole

Why Holistic Healing Matters

Our philosophy has always been simple: people heal best when their care is connected. Trauma lives in the body as much as in the mind. Stress shows up in digestion, in muscles, in sleep. Anxiety is influenced by both history and biochemistry. That’s why our approach combines therapy with wellness services designed to restore balance and resilience.

At CCH today, you’ll find:

●      Therapy Services: Individual, couples, family, and group therapy, always grounded in trauma-informed care.

●      Psychological Assessments: In-depth evaluations to provide clarity and guide personalized treatment.

●      Medication Management: Psychiatric support to ensure safe, effective, and holistic care options.

●      Wellness Offerings: Acupuncture, cupping, physical therapy, nutrition counseling, functional medicine, and shamanic healing.

●      Movement & Body-Based Care: Physical therapy, dry needling, Pilates, and Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga.

Every service is intentional. Together, they form an integrative network of support that helps people not only heal from past pain but also build strength for the future.

“Trauma influences mood, behavior, and relationships, and its effects are often stored in the body. Integrating practices such as therapy, intentional movement, good nutrition, and other mind-body interventions can enhance outcomes for clients. When you build a better relationship with your body, you take better care of it.” —Macarena

Lessons From the Journey

The past ten years have taught us:

●      Healing is not linear, and that’s okay. Progress includes both breakthroughs and plateaus.

●      Prevention is powerful. Wellness isn’t only for times of crisis—it helps sustain us in seasons of strength, too.

●      Our team is our heart. Each provider brings unique expertise, but together we create something greater: a collaborative, compassionate environment where clients can thrive.

And perhaps most importantly: community heals. We’ve seen it in our provider meetings, our yoga classes, and the quiet moments when a client feels safe enough to say, “I finally believe I can get better.”

Client Reflections

Our clients are the reason we do this work. Their stories fuel us. One client recently shared:

“The support I have received has truly been life changing. For the first time in my life, I have found hope that healing is possible.” —A.S.

Hearing words like this reminds us of the ripple effect—when one person heals, families strengthen, workplaces change, and communities grow healthier.

Gratitude and Looking Ahead

We are deeply grateful: to our clients for trusting us, to our providers for bringing their skill and heart every day, and to our community for believing in a vision of care that is both integrative and human. We’ve expanded four times, grown a multidisciplinary team, and adapted to challenges we never saw coming. Through it all, our mission remains the same: to provide a space where every person has the chance to heal, grow, and thrive.

As we look to the next decade, our promise is steady: we will keep deepening our services, expanding access, and creating spaces where healing feels possible.

Here’s to the next chapter. Same heart, stronger team, and the same commitment to collaborative, trauma-informed, whole-person care.

— With gratitude,

Macarena Corral, PsyD, LP, E-CYT 500
Nicole Slavik, PsyD, LP
Co-Founders, Center for Collaborative Health (Edina, MN)