A new way to access mental health professionals | AD

Below is some information that I think is hugely important to those who are in need of therapy or just someone to talk to. Talkspace provides a new way to do this and we both have corroborated to bring you this post below.

Talkspace: A new way to access mental health professionals

Founded in 2012 by Oren Frank, Talkspace provides a new service which allows users to connect with therapists and mental health professionals through a smartphone app.

Talkspace has been growing recently, boasting 500,000 users as of November 2017. The company recently struck a deal with medical insurance provider Magellan Health. Magellan Health wants to be able to provide app based therapy to its clients, and soon people who receive their health insurance through Magellan Health will be able to use the Talkspace service as part of their insurance plan.

By changing the way clients and therapists are able to interact, Talkspace has broken new ground in the world of mental health care. The platform allows professional therapists to reach out to clients through text throughout the day. It also allows users to interact with their therapists face to face using video chatting.

Talkspace users and therapists operate asynchronous to one another, allowing access to therapy at any time of day, which is especially useful for people who are too busy to visit a therapist’s office.

Talkspace is currently jumping the hurdles that come with offering online therapy, training their health professionals to be able to properly communicate the empathy required for therapy to work through the text messages.

Oren, the CEO of Talkspace and a former mental health professional, hopes that, among other things, the spread of online therapy will remove the harmful stigma that is associated with seeking and receiving mental health care.