Opening the Front Door to Comprehensive Mental Healthcare

Two years ago, I joined Headspace - following my heart and leaving the relatively safe and sane world of corporate fin-tech to jump into the fray of entrepreneurial behavioral health.

COVID-19 had wrought immense change in this sector: exacerbating an already-present global mental health crisis through increased isolation, widespread trauma, heightened anxiety, stress, and uncertainty. Notably, nearly half of adults in the U.S. reported symptoms of depression or anxiety during the pandemic. That's not factoring the outsized impact on adolescents, on children, on underrepresented communities - where health disparities and social inequities act as multipliers. With this massive ramp came a new urgency and awareness - the formerly shrouded, stigmatized and sidelined topic of mental health brought directly to center stage. Finally, we were all talking about it.

That combination proved powerful: immense need coupled with permission to engage. It had people flocking to Headspace wanting to feel better, it had employers knocking at our door hoping to find something - something affordable, effective, inclusive and welcoming - that they could bring into their organizations to help their employees.?

What we quickly learned was that our array of mindfulness and meditation tools were highly desirable, but that they weren’t enough. Too many members, too many employees, came to us in acute states of distress - clinical anxiety, clinical depression, panic. They needed more than self-help to get to a stable enough place where they could establish healthier practices, where they could invest in fostering a quieter mind.?

Employers saw us attracting their employees at levels their other benefits, especially their mental healthcare benefits, simply didn’t - 30%, 40%, even 50% of their entire organization, signing up and seeking wellbeing, desiring positive change. But our path only led so far…and they wanted us, needed us, to do more.

So, one year ago, at a moment of critical global need, we merged with Ginger - bringing coaching, therapy and psychiatry into our collective arsenal. We became Headspace Health and brought together the power of a beloved consumer brand - one that destigmatized mental health and eliminated barrier to entry - replete with proven, deeply-effective content with world-class, accessible and expert mental health services.??

Today, I am thrilled to share that we open the front door to comprehensive care.?

Our new, unified experience provides a single path to high-quality mental health and wellbeing support for all employees, built upon a platform that amplifies value while reducing complexity and administrative burden for employers. At a time when employers of all sizes are feeling the pressure of rising healthcare costs, the need for solutions that can drive immediate impact - while ultimately reducing the cost of care - remains paramount.?

For employees, the new Headspace Health experience offers:?

• A personalized experience from day one: from the onset, we get to know you - how you’re doing, what you’re seeking, your goals and needs. Coupled with ongoing feedback - evidence-based mental health assessments, casual check-ins, consumption behaviors and more - we harness this information to construct your personalized content and care journey, providing each of our members with continuous, customized and adaptable support.??
• One destination for lifelong mental health and wellbeing support: we have the flexibility to scale up or down your level and type of support depending on both your needs and preferences. Any given day may include meditation, a mindful walk, listening to some focus music or tuning into a Sleepcast to help you rest and refuel. If you desire, text-based behavioral health coaching is never more than a few minutes away - available 24/7. When warranted, video-based therapy and psychiatric services are on-hand for simple referral and easy escalation. Unified authentication and identity mean you have one account, one profile, allowing us to build a connected vision of you and a care plan to improve your health.??
• Seamless connection: no matter what your program, your Today experience in Headspace provides you with direction and connection. Any coaching or clinical appointment sits front and center in Headspace with Ginger care services one click away. We have built an experience that guarantees you have access to and awareness of this full suite of tools, services and support.?

For employers, the new Headspace Health experience delivers on the challenges of fragmentation, engagement and overall value, providing:

• A comprehensive experience for all employees with a single, simple implementation: with a unified eligibility system, employers are guided through a streamlined implementation and procurement process - making it simple to get started and to manage.
• End-to-end insights: employers get a full view of both engagement and health outcomes for their employee base, helping them assess the needs of their employees writ large, as well as track health improvements.
• Robust member communications: employers are provided with branded communications which reduce mental health stigma, ensure awareness of the support available, and ultimately, drive enrollment and engagement among employees - in turn, building cultures of growth and resilience, and compassion.
• The full range of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP): beyond mental health proper, we all know there are so many environmental and social factors that contribute to both cause and need. Our unified experience comes with the option to extend to an expansive EAP - linking Headspace Health’s unified mental health and wellbeing experience together with work-life services, critical incident support, workplace training and manager consultations.???

I’m proud to be executing on our mission - to transform mental healthcare and improve the health and happiness of the world - with the roll-out of the most comprehensive, accessible, inclusive and effective platform for mental health and wellbeing. With the launch of our unified experience we’re opening the front door to end-to-end mental healthcare for everyone, and?taking a giant leap toward achieving this goal.