Our History

In the early 1990's, New Philadelphia and the surrounding communities had very few choices for those individuals and families who wanted to seek counseling. After years of working together in a local mental health agency, two women (Chris Sand-Ashley and Karre Wendling) wanted to offer this community another option. With little more than their aspirations, they decided to open a practice together. The first order of business was to decide on a name. As they sat in the rec room of the home of their friends (Nicholas Varrati, MD and his wife, Barb) along with Chris's mother (Ginny Sand, a geology professor), the name Chrysalis was born. It was Chris's mom who offered this idea. She, forever a teacher, stated, "The chrysalis is the cocoon where a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly." This was a beautiful metaphor about change and about growth:  It was perfect!

With the name of the practice decided (The Chrysalis Counseling Center), that same rec room was reborn as two offices. A coffee pot and copy machine were bought, and Chrysalis was officially open for business. A little more than a year later, another woman (Barbara H. Schwartz) joined them, and they moved out of their first location and relocated to downtown New Philadelphia where they would be until 2009.  As the practice continued to grow, it was necessary to relocate one more time to the current location. 

Today, with a team of diverse clinicians, Chrysalis Counseling Center continues the mission of serving New Philadelphia and surrounding communities. 

In December, 2024, Chrysalis Counseling Center will celebrate its 30th anniversary!