When Nina Ythier looks back on her career, she sees more than job titles or credentials—she sees people. She recalls clients sitting quietly in waiting rooms, families caught in red tape and professionals doing their best without enough support. After three decades in mental health, those faces and stories stayed with her. They led her to ask a simple question: What if care came to the client, instead of the other way around?
Early in her career, Ythier worked in outpatient clinics, crisis programs and nonprofits across New York. She met children, adults and families facing trauma, poverty and disability. As she moved into leadership, one gap stood out to her: people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who also had mental health needs were too often left behind.
“Many clinics only provide therapy in an office, which can be intimidating or simply inaccessible for some people,” Ythier said. “I wanted to create a practice that adapts to the individual.”
In 2017, she launched Mind Speak, Inc., a certified woman- and minority-owned business in Mount Vernon, NY and serving clients in New York City and Westchester County. The company delivers in-person psychotherapy to people with intellectual disabilities and mental health conditions—clients that can be overlooked in standard systems of care.
Mind Speak’s team meets clients where they are: at home, in school or even in a park. She believes that removing the stress of transportation or unfamiliar clinical spaces helps people open up. “When someone feels comfortable, the work is more meaningful,” Ythier said.
She recalls one client, a young man diagnosed with autism, who had never taken an art class but started sketching during sessions. “His drawings were incredible,” she said. “Art became his outlet. Eventually, he landed an internship with Marvel Comics.”
Mind Speak has provided over 6,200 hours of therapy, supporting people of all ages. Services include individual, group, family and couples therapy—all tailored to each person’s strengths and goals. The team uses tools like art and yoga and offers sessions in English and Spanish. It works closely with schools, nonprofits, insurers and community organizations.
Education is another pillar of the practice. Ythier and her staff lead training for other providers on how to support clients with intellectual disabilities and mental health conditions. They’re also pursuing approval to offer Continuing Education Units in New York. Meanwhile, Mind Speak staff continue advocating for better policy and access at every level of government.
Ythier, who is also a rational emotive behavioral therapist and yoga instructor, believes that respect and flexibility make all the difference. “We build relationships, not just treatment plans,” she said. “It’s about recognizing what someone already brings to the table.”
Mind Speak’s work has not gone unnoticed. The company has been recognized by magazines like Forbes, Fortune and City & State Magazine. But for Ythier, the real wins are quieter: a client speaking up for the first time, a family breathing a little easier or a young person realizing they matter.
As the practice grows, so does its mission—to bring care to more people more comfortably and to never forget that therapy should feel human, not clinical.
Photo Courtesy of Claudio Abreau of Real Depth of Field Photography.
