Brighter Horizons Practice Solutions, LLC

About Me

I’m Dr. Michael Schneider—a psychologist turned entrepreneur, business consultant, and angel investor.

What I Provide

 After building and selling a thriving behavioral health practice, I now help other founders and owners of mental health businesses do the same: scale sustainably, lead effectively, and prepare for a successful exit.

Whether you’re growing your business or planning your next chapter, I offer hands-on, personalized consulting that’s grounded in real-world experience and a deep appreciation for both the clinical and business sides of care.

Business Development Consultant | Sell-Side Advisor | Angel Investor in Mental Health Innovation

I am a clinical psychologist and founder of New Directions Counseling Services, LLC, a premier behavioral health practice that I launched in 2004 in Wexford, PA. Under my leadership, New Directions became a regional leader in integrative care, offering a unique combination of counseling, medication management, and nutritional services.

Beyond clinical excellence and delivery of compassionate care, we (my management team) built New Directions into a business powerhouse—pioneering digital marketing in behavioral health, implementing financial forecasting tools, optimizing hiring and retention practices, and elevating brand reputation through strategic planning and operations management.

In late 2021, I facilitated the successful sale of New Directions to Transformations Care Network. I then served as Regional Market President of the rebranded New Directions Mental Health through September 2023, where I led integration efforts across four practices and supported organizational growth before transitioning into a strategic consulting role.

I hold a B.A. in Psychology from Duquesne University and a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) from Wright State University. I completed my predoctoral internship at Fairleigh Dickinson University and spent over 30 years providing holistic, compassionate, trauma-informed care for individuals coping with mood, anxiety, and adjustment disorders.

Today, I provide boutique consulting services for healthcare practice owners and founders. My work is rooted in personalized, hands-on guidance—not templated strategies or one-size-fits-all approaches. Clients turn to me for help with enhancing operational efficiency, building high-performance teams, creating demand-driving marketing strategies, and sharpening leadership capacity. My approach integrates deep listening, strategic insight, and data-informed decision-making to align each client’s business goals with their deepest values and long-term lifestyle vision.

In addition to business development, I offer sell-side advisory services for owners preparing for exit—whether that sale is imminent or several years in the future. My process addresses not only transactional logistics, but also the emotional and psychological dimensions of letting go, preparing clients for a transition that is both profitable and personally meaningful.

I also serve as an angel investor focused on innovation in the mental health space. I find great meaning in actively supporting startups that aim to improve access, quality, and outcomes in behavioral healthcare.

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Contact Me to Schedule a Complementary Consultation

If you’re an operator, innovator, or investor who shares my commitment to reshaping and enhancing
mental health care, let’s connect.

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