Open Conversations in Baltimore: Individual and Group Counseling for Adults and Young Adults
Open Conversations is a small, therapist-owned practice located in Canton that provides individual psychotherapy and process-based group therapy for adults and young adults 18 and up, with particular depth in anxiety, depression, adjustment, and relational concerns.
What Open Conversations actually is
Open Conversations operates as an independent counseling practice, not a hospital outpatient department or large behavioral health clinic. The practice is built around a core group of licensed therapists (LCSWs and counselors) who deliver individual sessions and facilitate two standing peer-led and therapist-led groups per week. Unlike hospital-affiliated providers, which manage higher caseloads and often rotate clinicians, Open Conversations maintains continuity by having the same clinician with you throughout treatment. The practice operates without a medical psychiatry unit on-site; medication management is not a service offered, though providers can collaborate with prescribers you identify or already see.
Services and pricing
Individual therapy sessions are offered weekly or biweekly and run 50 minutes. The sliding-scale fee for individuals earning under $40,000 annually is $50 to $75 per session; individuals earning $40,000 to $80,000 pay $75 to $100; those earning more than $80,000 are asked to pay $100 to $125. No session is turned away due to inability to pay. The practice is out-of-network for all insurance plans, meaning you pay at the visit and submit receipts to your insurer if your plan covers out-of-network care and you meet your deductible.
Group therapy sessions run 90 minutes and cost $60 per session on a sliding scale, with the same income thresholds applied. The two standing groups currently are a general process group focused on interpersonal patterns and a group for young adults navigating early-career and relationship transitions. Both are ongoing and accept new members by intake appointment first.
Initial intake appointments are 60 to 75 minutes and cost $100 (sliding scale available). During this session, the therapist gathers history, assesses fit, and discusses whether individual therapy, group, or both would serve you. If you determine Open Conversations is not a match, the intake fee is not charged.
How Open Conversations compares to other Baltimore counseling options
The Baltimore metro area has several different counseling access models. Large behavioral health systems such as Johns Hopkins Psychiatry and University of Maryland Medical Center's outpatient mental health clinics offer insurance-in-network care, shorter wait times for first appointments (often 2 to 4 weeks), and same-location medication management, but therapy is often delivered by rotating clinicians due to higher volume. Community mental health centers like Chesapeake Health Care operate on federal sliding-scale fee structures and serve uninsured and Medicaid populations; they are appropriate when insurance access is limited but have longer waits (6 to 12 weeks in some locations) because they serve more acute and underserved populations.
Choose Open Conversations if you want consistent therapist continuity, a practice-based peer group, and do not require medication management on-site. Choose a hospital outpatient clinic or large network if you carry insurance that requires in-network use, need psychiatric prescribing integrated into the same location, or require urgent intake within days. Choose a community health center if you are uninsured or on Medicaid and cannot afford private sliding scale.
Who it suits and who it does not suit
Open Conversations suits adults and young adults (18 and older) who are relatively stable in crisis terms (no active suicidality or psychosis), motivated for ongoing therapy, and able to engage with cognitive and relational work. The practice also suits people already managing psychiatry elsewhere and seeking psychotherapy only. It does not suit people under 18, those in acute psychiatric crisis, individuals who are uninsured and need Medicaid or federally subsidized sliding scale, or people who need psychiatry and therapy in one location.
What the first visit involves
You contact the practice by email or phone to request an intake. The first session is 60 to 75 minutes in the Canton office. The therapist will ask about your current concerns, mental health history, family background, medical history, current medications, and previous therapy experience. You will discuss what you hope to get from therapy and what your availability and preferences are (schedule, group vs. individual, or both). At the end of the intake, the therapist will tell you whether they recommend beginning therapy with them and, if so, propose a starting plan (weekly individual, group, or both). If either of you determines the fit is not there, you may request a referral to another provider.
Hours, parking, and logistics
Open Conversations is located in Canton at [specific address to be verified before publication]. The practice is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; hours are subject to change seasonally and should be confirmed by phone or email. Parking is street parking on the Canton block; there is no on-site lot. The office is accessible by car and is on the Canton crosstown bus line (MTA Route 10). Because this is a small practice, session times fill several weeks in advance; initial intake appointments typically have a 2 to 3-week wait.
Open Conversations fills a specific niche in Baltimore's mental health landscape: continuity-based, therapist-owned practice counseling at sliding scale, without the wait or rotation of larger clinics and without the insurance friction of hospital networks.
