After Record Year of Mental Health Demand, Talkspace Unveils Free 10-Day Healing Curriculum Featuring Daily Lessons to Promote Wellness, Created By Team of Expert Licensed Clinicians
One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans face a parallel pandemic — a worsening mental health crisis. Nearly 80% of Americans reported that the pandemic was a significant stressor in their lives while 49% of adults noted that their behavior had been negatively impacted as a result of these mental and emotional stresses. Over the past year, demand for therapy on the Talkspace platform has surged among both individuals and couples, with anxiety, depression, and stress being the leading drivers of teletherapy use. Today, Talkspace announced the launch of a free 10-day Healing Curriculum created and curated by expert licensed therapists on the platform to directly address and support the mental health crisis in America.
The curriculum includes:
- Daily lessons about mental health, created by a team of expert, licensed clinicians at Talkspace
- Guided experiences and tangible tools for practical ways to manage feelings and boost wellness
- Conversation starters to explore your personalized mental healthcare routine
- Education on how to prioritize your mental health
As record numbers of Americans continue to seek mental health care amid an unprecedented crisis, this innovative and interactive guide seeks to provide support for anyone looking to prioritize and boost their mental well-being. Lessons will begin with intention setting and expand to include creating physical and practical building blocks to wellness; getting in touch with feelings; identifying triggers; managing expectations; identifying support systems; prioritizing self-care; developing coping skills; strengthening resilience; and engaging in self-reflection. It will also help individuals start conversations on how to explore their personalized mental health care routine and educate them on how to make their mental health a priority.
Stress and anxiety due to the pandemic were pervasive across the country over the past year. As Google search volume data shows, searches for the term “worry” peaked in early March 2020 at the start of lockdown and continued to generate consistent interest as people adapted to a new normal despite sustained anxieties. Meanwhile, searches for the term “depression” remained consistently high throughout the year, peaking during a two week period in November (Nov 8-20), which coincided with the election.
“This was one of the most difficult years Americans have experienced in modern history as individuals and couples struggled to confront the isolation and fear they were facing,” said Oren Frank, CEO and co-founder of Talkspace. “If there is a silver lining, it’s that many Americans chose not to struggle alone and instead sought help from trained therapists and mental health practitioners on our platform and many others. Talkspace will continue to make it easier to access care as people emerge from this crisis, including through this new and free Healing Curriculum.”
A new study, which uses aggregated and anonymized data to examine major themes and symptoms regarding pandemic-related distress, found that confusion and negative emotions, health and medical emergencies, and work, business, and economic concerns were the most critical terms used. A separate analysis found that around six months into quarantine, requests for couples counseling started spiking. Couples sought support and coping strategies to alleviate the strain from the multiple demands of childcare and household management challenges, financial worries, and lack of personal space.
“Americans’ mental health has been challenged like never before over the past year, as people experienced unprecedented stress, anxiety, grief, and loss,” said Neil Leibowitz, Chief Medical Officer of Talkspace. “As the country turns a corner in its pandemic recovery, we must also begin the process of individual and collective healing to process these experiences and chart a new path forward. Talkspace’s Healing Curriculum seeks to be the first step in people’s journey to recovery and rejuvenation — to live happier and healthier lives in the months and years ahead.”
Through this timely curriculum, participants will be able to walk away knowing they’ve taken the time to prioritize their mental health; understand what mentally healthy practices are and how to engage in them; examine areas of their own mental health that may need more attention; and lastly, acquire tools they can apply to boost their mental health. For more information, please visit: https://www.talkspace.com/healing.
About Talkspace
Talkspace is a digital platform that connects thousands of licensed therapists and psychiatrists with people seeking mental healthcare. As a digital healthcare company, all care is delivered through an easy-to-use and HIPAA-compliant web and mobile platform. Today, the need for care feels more urgent than ever, and when seeking treatment, whether it’s psychiatric, adolescent, or couples therapy, Talkspace has treatment options for almost every need. With Talkspace, clients can send their dedicated therapists text, video, and voice messages anytime, from anywhere, and engage in live video sessions. To date, over 2 million people have used the service, and over 40 Million lives are covered for Talkspace through insurance. For more information about Talkspace commercial relationships, visit https://business.talkspace.com. To learn more about online therapy, please visit: https://www.talkspace.com/online-therapy.
