A Birmingham psychotherapist who left the NHS after fearing he was heading towards burnout is marking 15 years in private practice.
Jim Lucas began seeing private clients in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter in May 2011 before establishing Openforwards in 2016.
The independent therapy practice, based at the Jewellery Business Centre, has since supported thousands of clients and delivered professional training to therapists, according to the business.
Jim said he left secure public sector employment shortly before the NHS psychotherapy service where he had worked was closed and resources were redirected elsewhere.
He said: “Leaving secure public sector employment was frightening, but I knew I was heading towards burnout if I stayed.
“I wanted to keep helping people, but I also wanted to remain well enough to be present, steady and creative in the work.”
Openforwards provides psychological therapy to individuals, couples and families, as well as specialist training for therapists in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Jim has also appeared as a cognitive behavioural therapist on the BBC programme Twinstitute, presented by doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken.
Reflecting on the growth of online therapy platforms and artificial intelligence, Jim said independent practices continued to play an important role in providing personal care.
He said: “Therapy is not a production line. It is a human endeavour.
“Even with the growth of online services and AI, people still need thoughtful and compassionate human beings who can sit with them, listen carefully and help them move towards lives that matter.”
One of the most difficult periods for the business came during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when Jim had to move therapy sessions online almost overnight.
At the time, he was working from home with two young children while his wife continued working outside the home as a key worker.
Jim said: “I was doing therapy sessions from the spare room. When I opened the door afterwards, I would often find my children sitting on the floor outside.
“They wanted food, attention, to play or simply to spend time with me.”
Although online appointments remain part of the practice, Jim believes face-to-face therapy still offers benefits for clients who need a private space away from the pressures of home and work.
The practice faced further difficulties after the pandemic when new client enquiries slowed and operating costs continued to rise.
Jim considered closing the business and returning to the NHS before deciding to reduce the size of the team and give up one of its therapy rooms.
He said the decision was difficult but necessary to protect the future of the practice.
“At first, it felt like failure,” he said. “But I realised the real failure would have been trying to continue in exactly the same way when the business needed to change.
“The thing I am most proud of is that I never gave up.”
Jim has lived in Birmingham for around 30 years and said the city had played a central part in his professional and personal life.
He added: “Birmingham is where I trained, where I learned from others and where I built my adult life.
“I am proud to have built a small business here that has helped thousands of people.”
As Openforwards enters its 16th year, Jim said independent therapy practices remained valuable because they could offer a more personal and adaptable approach.
“Small businesses are far from irrelevant,” he said. “At their best, they protect a more human and responsive way of working.”
