Wayhaven

Thrilled to announce our latest contribution to the field of #ai in #mentalhealth! I'd like to introduce you to the Framework for AI Tool Assessment in Mental Health (FAITA - Mental Health) in the October 2024 issue of #WorldPsychiatry. The framework, inspired by One Mind PsyberGuide's original mental health app scoring guide (shoutout to Stephen Schueller and team) and developed in close collaboration with Elias Aboujaoude, MD, MA, aims to comprehensively evaluate genAI-powered mental health tools. It considers key aspects such as credibility, user experience, user agency, equity, transparency, and crisis management. As AI rapidly transforms #mentalhealthcare, it's essential that we have robust, thorough methods to assess these new technologies. The FAITA - Mental Health rating system provides a structured approach to help industry leaders and product developers, clinicians, and users make informed decisions about AI mental health tools. This work stems from a deep commitment to responsible and #ethicalAIdevelopment in mental #healthcare. I’m grateful for this opportunity to contribute to such a prestigious publication and to the broader conversation on AI in mental health. A huge thank you to Dr. Aboujaoude for his invaluable guidance and collaboration. Feel free to share with colleagues - article in comments. Also available soon for free download from the PubMed system (https://lnkd.in/g6umEP7G). Feel free to DM me if you'd like a copy of the full version of the October 2024 edition of World Psychiatry containing the article. Stay tuned for a more comprehensive, forthcoming publication on FAITA - Mental Health! #AIinMentalHealth #DigitalHealth #ResponsibleAI #EthicalAI #ResponsibleDevelopment #EthicalDevelopment #ProductDevelopment #ClinicalProductDevelopment #FAITAMentalHealth

?? At Wayhaven, we’re committed to reshaping student well-being by combining scientific excellence with innovative solutions.?? Together we blend cutting-edge AI with evidence-based methodologies to provide college students with 24/7 personalized well-being support. Here's how we do it: ?? Evidence-Based Practices: Our platform incorporates proven mental wellness approaches like CBT, DBT, and mindfulness, customized for the digital world. ?? Expert Guidance & User-Centered Design: Guided by well-being experts and feedback from students, we create tools that resonate with the unique needs of today's university students. ?? Rigorous Evaluation: We integrate research-backed metrics to continuously refine our platform, ensuring we track tangible well-being outcomes. ?? Ethical Innovation: With ethics and privacy at the forefront, we constantly update our technology to prioritize user safety and effectiveness. Learn more about our approach below. #MentalWellness #AI #StudentSupport #HigherEd

I understand that using AI conversational agents to combat social isolation may sound daunting or unusual. At Wayhaven, we're tackling the loneliness epidemic on college campuses by leveraging evidence-based techniques to reduce social stress and connect students with personalized, relevant events and clubs to foster a sense of belonging. Recent research strongly supports the potential of this approach. A study by Alotaibi & Alshahre (2024) found that 60% of participants strongly agreed that conversational AI helped improve their well-being. Moreover, 70% strongly agreed that engaging with AI fosters camaraderie, suggesting its potential to mitigate isolation and loneliness. These findings reinforce our belief in the power of thoughtfully implemented AI solutions to address the critical issues of social isolation and mental well-being on college campuses. However, we recognize that this is an evolving field, and we're committed to ongoing research and refinement of our approach. I'm interested in how you see tech supporting human connections to address loneliness on campus. #highered #loneliness #ai #wellbeing

?? ?? Ethical AI in student mental wellness As a clinical psychologist and digital mental wellness product leader, I see both the immense potential and ethical challenges of AI in supporting #StudentMentalWellness. My work at Stanford developing a framework to evaluate AI-powered mental health products has convinced me that we're at a critical juncture - one that demands thoughtful implementation to truly benefit #CollegeStudents. In my latest white paper for #Wayhaven, I outline an approach to #EthicalAI in student mental wellness that I believe is key as we navigate this rapidly evolving landscape: Privacy & informed consent: We must prioritize data protection and transparent communication about AI capabilities and limitations. Evidence-based methods: Integrating demonstrated mechanisms from well-being science is non-negotiable. Cultural sensitivity: Promoting equitable access and reducing bias is essential for truly inclusive support. User empowerment: Our tools should encourage self-efficacy and informed choices, not reinforce dependency. Rigorous research: Continuous scientific evaluation drives innovation, enhances effectiveness, and ensures that we're making a meaningful impact. Comprehensive safety protocols: We have a duty to respond appropriately and effectively to crisis situations. Interdisciplinary collaboration: Merging mental wellness and technology expertise creates more robust, ethical solutions. I'm driven by a vision of creating trusted, effective resources for students while advancing the field of #DigitalWellnessSupport. Realizing this vision requires a commitment from all of us in tech and higher ed to prioritize ethics alongside innovation. I invite you to read the full white paper on our blog (link in comments) and join this crucial conversation. How can we best harness AI's potential to meet students' needs while upholding our ethical obligations? #StudentWellness #StudentSuccess #ResponsibleAI #EthicalDevelopment #ResponsibleDevelopment #ResponsibleInnovation #EthicalInnovation #HigherEd #AIEthics #AITransparency

?? I'm thrilled to be able to officially announce Wayhaven's partnership with Furman University! Together with cross-functional leaders across Student Life, the Counseling Center, Student Success, New Student Orientation, Health Promotions, and Academic Affairs, we co-designed a Furman-specific AI Well-Being Coach, accessible to students whenever they have questions or concerns. The Paladin coach is well-versed and trained on evidence-based techniques in well-being coaching, the multitude of resources across campus, all 217 student clubs, and upcoming campus events. Rather than hunting across dozens of web pages, students can share exactly what's on their mind and be recommended hyper-local in-the-moment support. Check out the quick example in the video of a lonely first-year student and the coach's ability to help make connections on campus. Shoutout to Jason Cassidy, Allyson Brathwaite-Gardner, Connie Carson, Stephanie Boyd, Meghan Slining, Tracy Carner, Gwen Hirko, and Sarah Gonzales for your thought leadership on this project. Well done, Team! Who wishes they had a personal AI coach to support their well-being in college?

??? Exciting news! ?? Wayhaven is thrilled to welcome Dr. Jennifer Huberty, PhD as our newest Advisor! ?? Jen's extensive expertise in #ScientificResearch and #EvidenceGeneration will be invaluable as we strategically develop a robust pipeline of analyses and studies. ??? Her expertise will support us in: ?? Forming academic partnerships ?? Crafting roadmaps for research and evidence generation ?? Designing and executing comprehensive studies ?? Publishing impactful papers Jen’s addition aligns perfectly with the urgent need highlighted in the Abelson et al. (2024) report (link below), which calls for more thorough and updated information on the effectiveness and engagement of digital mental health interventions due to the limited direct evidence for many commonly used interventions in college populations. ???? Together, we’re on a mission to demonstrate the evidence and outcomes for our products, paving the way for better mental wellness support for college students everywhere! ???? Welcome, Jen! Looking forward to filling gaps in the literature and empowering higher education leaders with the insights they need to support student mental health effectively! ???? #CollegeCounseling #MentalHealthInHigherEd #StudentSuccess #StudentMentalHealth #DigitalMentalHealth #EvidenceBased #ResearchStrategy #PeerReviewedPublications ?? Jen Huberty's Website: https://lnkd.in/gGx_25Ck ?? Digital Mental Health Interventions at Colleges & Universities: https://lnkd.in/gASpTHPG

??Shoutout to our VP of Psychology, Ashleigh Golden, PsyD, RPsych, HSPP, ACT for winning an award as an Emerging Leader of the Year by Digital Health Canada! Digital Health Canada Award winners were announced at the e-Health 2024 Conference and Tradeshow, held this year in Vancouver from May 26 -28. Congratulations to all of the award winners ??

Emerging Leader of the Year recognizes individual emerging leaders who are in the first seven years of their digital health or virtual health career. Congratulations to the 2024 Emerging Leaders of the Year Ashleigh Golden (Vice President of Psychology, Wayhaven), Dr. Daniel Rosenfield (Emergency Physician, SickKids Foundation), and Ahmad Haroon Syed (Surgical Clinical Analyst, William Osler Health System)!

It would be tempting to think that students are completely run down and exhausted at the end of the semester, actively avoiding opportunities for mental engagement and innovative possibilities, but it’s simply not true, especially for this amazing group of students! Christine Nicodemus and Erik Murphy were extremely kind to encourage me to invite a bunch of students to join them at Enventys Partners in Charlotte to participate in a design thinking experience for their app called Wayhaven. If you’re not yet familiar with the app, it’s an incredible resource for high school and college students that personalizes mental wellness support and fosters resilience. They have already partnered with various colleges around the nation and are now looking to partner with high schools, especially those in Charlotte, to help students be the best versions of themselves while providing 24/7 support. Shravan Selvavel, Martin Heneghan, Reed Zimmerman, Brunner Williams, Ikenna Oriaku, Dev Dwivedy, Jada Probst, Nathan Childers, Jenna C., and Daniel Behrman were undaunted by the challenging questions they faced, meeting them with insight and creativity. As the founder of Edgeucation (https://lnkd.in/ewrarCV5), I was absolutely blown away by these students’ excitement at the challenging questions as well as their vulnerability in responding about the stressors and anxieties they encounter on a daily basis in school. This group of student leaders will make a tremendous impact across the board, and their commitment to address mental health matters that have traditionally been taboo to discuss will carry them to new heights over their careers. Christine and Erik, thank you both for this opportunity to engage students and shape the future of Wayhaven!

We wanted our AI mental wellness coach to "come to life" a bit. This month, with the help of our student advisors, we're implementing a variety of coach personas that our student users can pick to chat with. They're all delivering content from the same core SSI model that's trained on CBT and mindfulness strategies, but they each have their own personality and tone. I'm curious, which Coach would you pick? What other personas should we consider? #ai #mentalwellness #studentvoice