Jessica Gurley has been a long-time advocate and active member of the mental health community. After starting her work in this field in 2008, Jessica went on to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in 2010 from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s Degree in 2012. Most recently, Jessica worked as the TeleMental Health Operations Manager at the Pittsburgh Veteran Affairs. She was extremely successful in this position and contributed to other Telehealth positions at the VA by expanding over 20 different Telehealth programs including the Chemotherapy Telehealth program, which is the first virtual Chemotherapy program in the country.
During this time, she was also winning awards for her business Social Work Consulting and Counseling LLC, the business she started in 2016. These awards included the Pittsburgh Courier‘s Fab 40 and the The Incline‘s “Who’s Next: First Responders” awards. In 2018, Jessica created Mental Health T’s, a t-shirt line dedicated to promoting mental health and therapy before it became popular to do so on social media. These shirts have been purchased by the Mayor of Pittsburgh and many PA State Representatives, and have been featured in Soul Pitt Magazine and Helpful Living Magazine.
Jessica’s decision to start her business came after seeing the need for an increased amount of competent black mental health advocates, therapists, and consultants. These communities are underrepresented in the field, and many are seeking a professional from their communities to help. SWCC’s core mission is to H.E.L.P — heal, enlighten, liberate, and plan; a mission to educate and plan a future, not just offer therapy services.
As the need for her services grew, Jessica struggled to keep up with demand, as SWCC was still a part-time business. A loan was needed to expand her company, for use for marketing, rental space, referral subscriptions, and insurance. Jessica applied for a loan of $40,000 from the Washington County Council on Economic Development (WCCED) to assist her mission to help.
Lynne Nincke of the University of Pittsburgh SBDC met Jessica when she reached out the SBDC for help developing her business. Throughout this time, Jessica received a business plan review, an SEO report, and financial projections. These projections were vital to Jessica’s business plan as they would provide WCCED with proof that Jessica’s company is viable and necessary.
SWCC successfully became a full-time business in January 2023 with hopes of expansion. After much dedication and determination, Jessica was approved for her loan through the WCCED. With the funds, Jessica can hire three new therapists, expand her marketing and referral subscriptions, and open her reach to help even more clients through education in addition to therapeutic services. Jessica and SWCC plans to service up to 100 clients a week by the end of 2023 and reach over $1.3 million in sales by 2026.
Jessica is an inspiration to the mental health community, showing that a strong mission can be accomplished. Her partnership with the Pitt SBDC was crucial to obtaining her loan through a polished business plan and strong financial projections. The SBDC is honored to have worked with Jessica and looks forward to watching as she continues to help the Pittsburgh area with her services.