Happy 2 Year Anniversary, Desta Therapy!

A Word From Jimmy Gross - Co-Founder - Desta Therapy

There are times in life that split everything into a "before" and an "after," and for some reason, I've experienced many such instances. The summer of 2024 was another one of those for me.

After nearly 3 years of working tirelessly for a privately owned company, I found myself discouraged, exhausted, disillusioned, and wondering what came next. So, with the support of my wife, Rachel, I left that job. We didn't have a backup plan.

In the weeks that followed, Rachel and I decided to rebrand our nonprofit and founded Desta Therapy, our counseling practice. The mission we wrote was simple: Helping people reclaim joy.

Most people assume we chose those words because they sounded hopeful. The truth is much more personal.

That mission was written for me before it was written for anyone else. I needed to believe that joy could be reclaimed and that disappointment didn't have the final say, that recent wounds could heal, and that a cool story was still being written, even when I couldn't yet see it.

Our first client was seen on July 16, 2024, completely free of charge. Thank you, Nichole McDaniel!

Two years later, Desta Therapy has grown to over 25 therapists and every month more and more people entrust us with their stories.

What makes me proud isn't simply the growth. It's the kind of place we've become.

At Desta Therapy, everyone is truly welcome.

Whether you're gay, navigating an unconventional relationship, struggling with an eating disorder, grieving the loss of someone you love, walking through a divorce, wrestling with anxiety or depression, "conservative" or "liberal", questioning your faith, healing from religious trauma, trying to figure out how to help your child with ADHD... I could go on — you deserve to be heard with dignity, compassion, and respect.

We don't begin with judgment. We begin with curiosity, kindness, and recognizing that every person who walks through our doors carries a story we may never fully understand.

I'm equally proud of the culture we've built for our therapists. Many have come to us after feeling unseen, unsupported, or treated unfairly elsewhere. Our hope has always been that Desta would be different — that it would be a place where clinicians are encouraged, trusted, valued, and reminded that they are human too.

Looking back now, I realize Desta Therapy wasn't created in a single moment, but rather, it was years in the making. It was shaped by experiences that began with our family in Texas, then in Ethiopia, continued through the Middle East, and eventually found their way back to Texas.

Every season has taught me something about people, resilience, generosity, hospitality, and the incredible beauty found in human diversity.

In 2025, that same vision led Rachel and me to found Desta Billing & Credentialing Services (DBCS). On the surface, it is a billing company. In reality, it is another expression of the same mission. It supports Desta therapists and other therapists arcorss the U.S. so they can focus on caring for clients. It creates meaningful employment opportunities for extraordinarily gifted young DBCS professionals whose work helps provide for their families. It reminds me every day that business can be both excellent and deeply compassionate...and it can be so much fun, too.

Across our family of organizations, employees and clients from different countries, cultures, languages, and faith traditions connect every single day. To me, that is a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. Not because everyone believes exactly the same things, but because we choose to treat one another with dignity, humility, kindness, and genuine love.

Peace instead of hostility.

Understanding instead of suspicion.

Unity instead of division.

In a world that often profits from outrage and fear, we want Desta (and its family of organizations) to be known for something different. We want to be a place where people breathe a little easier when they walk through the door. Where they feel safe, seen, and hopeful about the future.

When people ask me what I'm most proud of, my answer isn't the number of clients we serve or the pace of our growth. It's the people. Lives changed, employees flourishing, families healing, and joy returning.

And if I'm honest, it's watching God answer a prayer that I first asked for myself.

For all that has been, and for all that is still to come, I am profoundly grateful.