Our Story

Meet the Founders

Meridian Counseling was founded by Sandra Kushnir, LMFT, in 2017. Sandra, a first-generation American, came from a family that immigrated from Ukraine in 1990 following the USSR's collapse. They settled in Salt Lake City, UT, seeking a brighter future and opportunities that Sandra, as a Jewish woman in Ukraine, could only dream of. This journey ignited in her a determination to pursue her big dreams, a passion to prove herself, and a love for creativity.

Initially, Meridian began as Sandra’s solo private practice. However, her unwavering commitment to destigmatizing mental health, making it affordable, accessible, and less intimidating, led her to envision more for Meridian. She recognized an opportunity to pioneer one of California's first fully insurance-based therapy practices, driven by her desire to offer therapy to young professionals and students who couldn't afford private pay rates.

As Meridian started accepting insurance, it became evident that there was a significant demand for in-network therapy services. Between 2017 and 2020, the program's size doubled and then tripled, showcasing its positive impact.

During this transformative period, Sandra's fiancé, Kevin Lehtinen, made a bold career move, leaving his role as a control systems engineer at Hyperloop One to join Meridian full-time. It was a leap of faith transitioning from engineering to the mental health space, but both Kevin and Sandra shared a vision of making the world a better place by increasing access to mental health care. With Kevin's engineering background and unwavering dedication, Meridian rapidly grew into one of California and Utah's largest mental health companies, currently serving thousands of clients monthly!

Meridian takes immense pride in being one of the few female and clinician-owned and founded mental health start-ups. What sets us apart is that we've entirely bootstrapped the company, never seeking external investment, even as we compete with tech giants backed by millions, sometimes billions, in funding.

Our philosophy centers on the belief that good care begins with quality providers. Our mission is clear - to deliver the highest quality care to as many people as possible while upholding our field's integrity and resisting the allure of big tech and profits at the expense of exceptional care. We hold ourselves and our providers to the highest clinical standard of care.

Additionally, Meridian has achieved recognition as a CARF-accredited program and earned approval from CAMFT as a CE training program for therapists.

Our Values

  • Community - We celebrate diversity and recognize that we are human first. We embrace genuine, safe, and trusting relationships with colleagues, clients, and the community. We lift each other up through sharing knowledge, resources and skills.

  • Integrity - We strive to embody principles of moral, ethical, and professional standards and value authenticity, transparency, and ownership of our actions.

  • Professionalism - We foster a positive working environment and value the impact of our profession. We demonstrate this through how we present ourselves and interact with clients and colleagues.

  • Forward-Thinking - We are always willing to grow, embrace change, and innovate. We encourage creativity, welcome feedback, and take the initiative to learn new approaches.

  • Celebrate - We celebrate and recognize our individual and collective achievements. We have fun and laugh together.

Our Mission

We are a modern therapy practice focused on top-tier clinicians.

“Great care starts with great clinicians.”

Connect With Us

We love connecting and collaborating! If you're interested in discussing PR opportunities, speaking events, training sessions, or brand collaborations with our founders, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

We're excited to hear from you and explore how we can work together to create something amazing