Even before the pandemic
Warminster-based wellness and counseling center Airmid was
experiencing significant growth. In the time since the shutdowns and quarantine
of spring 2020, Airmid, which had operated for five years prior primarily with owners
Marianne Welch-Salkind and Dottie Kelly-Arabia, had tripled in size to 15 therapists, as
well as wellness staff and coaches.
“We were like the second responders
during COVID,” Welch-Salkind recalled. “Everybody was trying to adjust to such
a drastic way of living, and it really took a toll on their mental health.”
At a loss for how to keep pace with
the influx of new clients, Airmid’s Wellness Director, Ed Salkind, sought
support from SCORE Bucks County mentor Bill Grant, who began mentoring Salkind
- the husband of Marianne - in December 2019. Grant offered guidance in billing
practices, facilities, classes, and transition planning.
“They still have a backlog but are working
this down by bringing on the new therapists and folks finding other solutions
for their needs,” Grant said.
Grant also helped the center differentiate
itself from traditional therapy businesses since Airmid provides holistic
healing through wellness classes such as yoga, meditation, reiki and more in
conjunction with traditional talk therapy.
“Because of the mentorship, I’ve been able to
re-examine it, recreate it and find different ways to promote it,” Kelly-Arabia
said of the wellness components.
In addition to providing comprehensive mental
health and wellness services to adults, Airmid specializes in supporting youth
with emotional needs, including those on the autism spectrum. Five of the
center’s therapists provide children’s services at the center’s new Children’s
Play Therapy Center, which incorporates art, play and sand therapy and a SMART
(Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment) Moves Therapy Room.
A registered nurse and a licensed counselor
with more than 20 years’ experience, Kelly-Arabia and Welch-Salkind, a licensed
massage therapist and licensed therapist, understand the intersection between mental
health and wellness.
“It’s impossible to help somebody with their
emotional issues and not address how the body is storing it,” Welch-Salkind
said. “We know that physical movement needs to happen for a complete healing.”
When the co-owners could not find the duality
of treatment options at previous places of employment, they joined forces in
2015 to establish Airmid.
Going forward, the challenge is coaxing
clients back into in-person wellness classes, which are currently offered in a
hybrid format.
“Hybrid makes it difficult to create that
community that Airmid is all about,” Kelly-Arabia said. “These are
all people working on being their better selves. It’s a great network and
social connection to support each other.”
Airmid intends to continue
mentoring with Grant. SCORE provides no-cost mentoring through the life of a
business.
“We’re doing everything that we’re being
advised to do and it’s lifting off the ground,” Welch-Salkind said. “We’re
learning so much.”
Grant’s background in health care practices
has been beneficial.
“SCORE mentors know how to give that
information to someone in a way that they can take it and run with it,”
Kelly-Arabia said, adding that Grant’s advice has been most helpful. “Here’s a
person that’s lived it and took the hard knocks and knows how to help you avoid
the knocks or at least take the blow a little easier.”
