This first-of-its-kind virtual mental health clinic will provide local treatment programs for high acuity patients via weekly Zoom meetings and more. Treatments are personalized for more effective results, taking into consideration the actual location and age of the patient. The company works with those who need support transitioning back home and into school environments following hospital-based treatment for acute mental health disorders. Charlie Health also partners with local Texas hospitals, insurance companies, schools, and local therapists, with a clinical model rooted in evidence-based, trauma-informed care.
Founded by industry veterans, Charlie Health’s story could not be timelier. Carter Barnhart, Co-Founder and CEO of Charlie Health knows what it’s like to be a teen in need. Before spending the past 11 years growing the leading residential program for adolescents and young adults with behavioral health challenges at Newport Health, Barnhart was a former trauma patient who was able to receive the care she so desperately needed.
About Carter Barnhart
Carter Barnhart serves as Co-founder and CEO of Charlie Health. Previously, she worked at Newport Healthcare for 11 years following her own personal treatment at the facility. She joined the company as one of its first employees, serving as Chief of Staff to Newport’s founder and CEO. While there, Barnhart developed the referral relations department, Newport’s largest patient acquisition channel. In 2018, she took on the role of Chief Experience Officer, serving as the youngest-ever female member of a Carlyle portfolio company C-suite. Although Newport Healthcare was recently sold to Onex for over a billion dollars, Barnhart remains involved and continues to advise and support several other organizations that help provide mental healthcare access to underserved populations.
Barnhart received a BA from New York University in 2014. She serves as Co-founder of the Inspiration Foundation and speaks frequently at schools, conferences, and hospitals on issues related to adolescent mental health. She remains dedicated to supporting teens and young adults on the path to healing.
About Dr. Caroline Fenkel LCSW
Dr. Caroline Fenkel LCSW is a thought leader in the adolescent and young adult substance abuse treatment field. Currently, Dr. Fenkel co-founded and serves as Chief Clinical Officer of Charlie Health. Caroline began her career by combining her love for horses with her desire to help others by providing equine-assisted psychotherapy. Caroline earned her masters from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and began providing treatment at all levels of care, including detoxification units, residential and outpatient treatment, and partial hospitalization
Dr. Fenkel has worked at numerous national and local treatment programs including Mainline Health, Pyramid Healthcare, and Newport Healthcare. She went on to earn her doctorate in Clinical Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania, studying the use of technology in a therapeutic setting.
