Airdrie psychology firm breaks barriers with innovative virtual mental health services
When Dr. Mitch Colp launched Hexagon Psychology during the pandemic, he and his team were aiming to trailblaze virtual mental health assessment and treatment across Canada.
In 2011 during graduate studies discussions between Dr. Colp and Dr. Ryan Matchullis, the dream of reaching remote areas was forming, and it included a Winnebago “to provide on-site assessments or counseling to help people.” A decade later, in April 2021, Dr. Colp, Dr. Matchullis, Chris Pawluk, and John Laing came together to bring the vision of reaching remote regions to life. Recognizing the potential of modern technology, the team shifted their focus to serving underserved communities through virtual services, enabling broader access to care without geographic limitations.
“We always wanted to challenge how mental health services are delivered,” said Dr. Colp, a Nova Scotia native who moved to Alberta in 2010 for graduate studies at the University of Calgary.
Hexagon Psychology has rapidly expanded to become the largest psychology clinic in Airdrie, employing 38 regulated mental health professionals and serving up to 1,000 clients monthly across Canada – almost one-third of those virtually. Video technology has become a solution today to provide more care.
One fateful day, Dr. Colp met his wife, Jennifer, at a coffee shop in Kensington. She was from Airdrie, their relationship blossomed, and Dr. Colp began working for Rocky View Schools after graduating with his Doctorate in Psychology. When he wanted to branch out on his own, Airdrie was a viable place to open a practice with a growing population and a large pool of mental-health care professionals to draw from.
Hexagon Psychology’s groundbreaking approach led to the development of national guidelines for how virtual psychological assessments can be completed and obtaining licensing across all the Canadian jurisdictions – a feat no other known Canadian psychology practice has achieved to date.
“Nobody was really doing this work virtually in 2021. It was seen as strange, but the professional community has come around,” Dr. Colp said, noting while some information is lost by meeting people virtually, much is gained by seeing people in their natural environment.
Having completed SMARTstart in October 2024, Dr. Colp took the next step to become the second company admitted to Airdrie’s AdvanceSMART mentorship program. He is leveraging guidance from three experienced mentors: Deanna Hunter of Ridgegate Consulting, Glenn Smaha, retired General Manager for Davis Chevrolet GMC Buick Ltd, and Linda Maslechko, former owner of Triple Flip.
These mentors have experience in human resources, franchise systems and larger organizations.
“I want to make sure that if I’m guiding this as their CEO…that I can use the wisdom of these mentors to compliment what I already know and hopefully fill in the blanks for the places I don’t.” Dr. Colp said. “I have responsibility for my colleagues and my partners…and their families.”
Hexagon Psychology aims to expand strategically by making sure its first practice in Airdrie has a solid foundation to build on and replicate. Dr. Colp envisions establishing brick-and-mortar locations in major urban centres across Canada within the next decade while continuing to provide virtual care to people in remote areas.
As Airdrie approaches potential population growth to over 110,000 by 2030, Dr. Colp sees the growing need for mental health services.
“We need more healthcare professionals out here, and I am willing to train them to make it all happen,” he said.
Story and photography by Britton Ledingham.