If you're looking for a therapist, head over here instead.
Pluto Mental Health will be opening its doors in the summer of 2026.
We are currently building out our insurance network, renovating our space, and conducting interviews. If you're interested in getting more information, start by selecting your role:
Mental health clinicians come to Pluto from a lot of places. Some are leaving a group practice where too much of their income goes to someone else. Some feel like it's time to start their own thing and want a little bit of structure behind them. Some want to dip their toes into private practice to make some extra cash on the side. Some are coming back to clinical work after time off for having or raising kids, and want to go at their own pace. All of them want autonomy over their work and their caseload without being pressured to take on more hours.
Pluto gives you the autonomy of a private practice, without the isolation and without the pay cut. We're a small, clinician-owned practice. Support isn't farmed out to a call center. You can put your art on the wall. You can get to know your coworkers. You get to decide how much non-clinical work you do, and how much Pluto does for you (at or below market rate).
You control your caseload, your schedule, and your client population. We don't set minimums, we don't manage your calendar, and we don't tell you how to do your clinical work. You don't need to ask anyone to take time off.
The Clinic is in-network with Providence, Aetna, Regence, and Moda. We are working on PacificSource and Kaiser, and hoping to add OHP in 2027. You decide which panels you want to credential with. We submit your credentialing applications (with your help).
Pluto keeps its branding minimal to give space for your own. Your profile is easy to set up and edit, shows clients what they need to know, and looks the way you want it to look. New client inquiries from the website are routed to clinicians whose availability and insurance match.
The Clinic offers two opt-in services for clinicians who want to delegate parts of the non-clinical work. Billing support handles benefits verification, denial management, and appeals on insurance-billed sessions, at $1 per insurance-billed session. Client intake handles contacting prospective clients, screening for fit, scheduling consultations, and briefing you, at $12 per new client.
Pluto isn't a community yet because Pluto isn't open yet. But we're building for it: group consultation, workshops, continuing education, and a physical space designed for clinicians who want to be around other clinicians.
We have thirteen individual offices on the fourth floor of the Weatherly Building in SE Portland. You can reserve a dedicated office or book shared space in half-day or full-day blocks. Virtual and hybrid practice are fully supported. More detail in the space section below.
Unlike many group practices, we do not offer a percentage split, because we're striving for something more transparent and equitable. How it works is this: you are paid all of your revenue, and then you pay fees to Pluto for the admin services you use. There is a flat $15 admin fee for insurance-billed sessions, and two opt-in support services beyond that.
Your income will be variable. It depends on your out-of-pocket rate, which insurance companies your clients use, how many clients you see, and whether they show up. Reimbursement rates vary by payer, so assume an average of $140–145 as a working estimate.
The calculator below lets you build a custom picture of your expenses and revenue, before taxes. Default numbers are filled in; edit anything to match your situation.
For a long time, registered associates in Oregon had a couple of paths to building a caseload: start a private practice seeing out-of-pocket and OHP clients, or join a group practice.
Group practices offer stability and community, but they often come with questionable pay structures, minimum caseloads, not enough PTO, and the feeling that someone else is running your professional life. A solo practice offers freedom, but the state is closing the OHP path for associates. For years that was the only insurance option for associates in private practice. Now the only option is out-of-pocket clients, and building a caseload from scratch without insurance is genuinely difficult and isolating. Not impossible, but tough.
Pluto is a middle path. We're a small, clinician-owned practice designed to challenge the power dynamics in the field that often feel exploitative for associates. Pluto gives you the autonomy of a solo setup with the commercial insurance access of a group. You set your caseload, your hours, and your rates. You get to decide how much non-clinical work you do, and how much Pluto does for you (at or below market rate).
You control your caseload, your schedule, and your client population. We don't set minimums, we don't manage your calendar, and we don't tell you how to do your clinical work. You don't need to ask anyone to take time off.
The Clinic is in-network with Providence, Aetna, Regence, and Moda. We are working on PacificSource and Kaiser, and hoping to add OHP in 2027. Associates bill under a contracted Pluto supervisor's NPI. You decide which panels you want to credential with. We submit your credentialing applications (with your help).
We maintain a roster of contracted supervisors for you to interview and choose from. Your supervisor reviews and signs your insurance notes and bills under their NPI. You set up supervision with them directly. Group supervision sessions are offered through the clinic as an optional way to meet some of your monthly supervision hours and reduce costs.
Pluto keeps its branding minimal to give space for your own. Your profile is easy to set up and edit, shows clients what they need to know, and looks the way you want it to look. New client inquiries from the website are routed to clinicians whose availability and insurance match.
The Clinic offers two opt-in services for clinicians who want to delegate parts of the non-clinical work. Billing support handles benefits verification, denial management, and appeals on insurance-billed sessions, at $1 per insurance-billed session. Client intake handles contacting prospective clients, screening for fit, scheduling consultations, and briefing you, at $12 per new client.
Pluto isn't a community yet because Pluto isn't open yet. But we're building for it: group consultation, workshops, continuing education, and a physical space designed for clinicians who want to be around other clinicians.
We have thirteen individual offices on the fourth floor of the Weatherly Building in SE Portland. You can reserve a dedicated office or book shared space in half-day or full-day blocks. Virtual and hybrid practice are fully supported. More detail in the space section below.
Unlike many group practices, we do not offer a percentage split, because we're striving for something more transparent and equitable. How it works is this: you are paid all of your revenue, and then you pay fees to Pluto for the admin services you use. There is a flat $15 admin fee for insurance-billed sessions, and two opt-in support services beyond that. There is also supervision, which you pay your supervisor directly.
Your income will be variable. It depends on your out-of-pocket rate, which insurance companies your clients use, how many clients you see, and whether they show up. Reimbursement rates vary by payer, so assume an average of $140–145 as a working estimate.
The calculator below lets you build a custom picture of your expenses and revenue, before taxes. Default numbers are filled in; edit anything to match your situation.
If you want to do therapy through a platform, there are plenty of options. But we pay better, we have actual offices, and we're not owned by a board of billionaires.
We work on making Pluto attractive to new clients in many ways and as accessible as possible. The website, directory profiles, and clinic phone line all bring inquiries. We route them to clinicians whose availability and insurance match. We can't promise volume, so you shouldn't count on the Clinic as a primary referral source. But attracting new clients is a real and ongoing part of the work we do.
As an independent contractor you are responsible for your own health insurance, dental, and retirement. Compared to other practices, however, you keep significantly more of what you earn. And as is true of any 1099 arrangement, many of your business expenses are tax deductible.
There is no long-term commitment. Clinicians work at Pluto because they want to, not because they signed a contract and are scared to break it. If you decide to leave, you are welcome to take your clients with you.
Pluto Mental Health occupies the entire fourth floor of the Weatherly Building at 516 SE Morrison St in SE Portland, Oregon. The suite has thirteen individual offices available in three formats: a dedicated office, or shared space in half-day or full-day blocks.
Conference room can be reserved for $25 per hour for group therapy or workshops. Fee is waived for group consultation and social events.
Half-day blocks run approximately $20-25 per block depending on room size. Full-day blocks run approximately $35-45. Dedicated offices are priced individually.
Clinicians have access to building amenities including basement bike storage and showers. Daily or monthly parking available.
If you are interested in renting office space without a full practice affiliation, we offer a space-only option. Learn more here.
If you want to read our independent contractor agreement before applying, just send us a message and we'll email it to you. We've tried to make everything as simple and fair as possible and give clinicians as much agency as we can, meaning:
In return, all we ask is timely and complete documentation, be yourself, and water the plants once in a while.
If this sounds like the right fit, we'd love to hear from you. Our application is straightforward: a resume and a few short questions. No essays, no references at this stage.
We review applications on a rolling basis and typically respond within a week.
apply to join →Supervision is essential to how Pluto works. Associates at Pluto bill commercial insurance through supervisory billing, which means the supervisor is the billing provider of record on insurance claims. Without a roster of capable supervisors, the associate side of Pluto cannot function.
We don't believe supervision is a science. It can come in many shapes and sizes, and we're not going to tell you how yours should look, so long as you're leading by example. Simply put, we want you to be engaged, and to really care about this work.
Supervisors credential with Pluto's contracted commercial payers using their individual NPI. Associates' insurance-billed sessions are submitted under that NPI. Pluto leads the credentialing process with your assistance.
Once you're credentialed, you can begin contracting with Pluto associates. Here are the basic requirements:
Meet with each of your Pluto associates at the frequency their licensure requires. Some associates will have a single supervisor; others contract with a secondary supervisor outside Pluto. To satisfy supervisory billing, they will need to meet with you at least once per month.
Read, sign, and submit every insurance-billed note in SimplePractice. When treatment plans and assessments are updated, they get reviewed alongside the respective note.
Raise clinical, documentation, or safety concerns when you see them. If documentation is not compliant, the claim should not be made.
Respond to emails in a reasonable timeframe. If there are problems with an associate's practice or documentation, address them kindly but directly.
Because Pluto associates are independent contractors, the supervisor's role is more narrow than it might look at an agency or a treatment facility. Associates at Pluto should already be independently motivated, and competent with documentation and treatment planning. Supervision is for mentorship, clinical consultation, and building confidence, not teaching fundamentals from scratch. Your substantive support happens in supervision meetings. Brief flags about specific notes are fine over email; extended written feedback on documentation should be reserved for your meetings.
If you determine that an associate doesn't yet have clinical competency to bill under your NPI (and their work is not improving through your feedback and guidance), then your relationship with them can be paused or ended. We require compliant documentation from associates, and if they cannot produce this reliably, then they will lose access to our supervisory billing model.
A question we've been getting: how much supervisory experience is necessary? Substantial clinical experience in diverse contexts is necessary. Extensive experience as a supervisor is nice but not required. We want our roster to cover a range of experience, specialties, modalities, and populations. Specifically:
Associates are billing commercial plans through your NPI, so you need to be familiar with that world.
Associates and supervisors can meet in person, virtually, or both. We're currently only contracting with supervisors who can do in-person at least sometimes.
Groups are a huge vehicle for learning and community building. It's not required, but we hope you have experience and enjoy running them.
Supervisors at Pluto are independent contractors.
Pluto pays $7 per insurance-billed note reviewed and submitted.
Associates pay supervisors directly for the monthly meeting required by payers, and for any additional licensure supervision, at rates set by the supervisor.
If you're interested, email contact@plutomentalhealth.com with a note about your clinical background, modalities, supervisory experience, and availability.
If you need space for meetings, we have rooms available by the hour or the day. Read more about our space here →