Virtual behavioral health provider Talkspace unveiled a new product Thursday that provides employers with access to a library of mental health resources that they can share with employees.
New York City-based Talkspace serves employers, payers and consumers, and provides self-guided mental health programs, therapy and psychiatry. Its new product, Talkspace Engage, aims to help employers promote their mental health benefits to their employees, a challenge that many companies struggle with, said Erin Boyd, chief growth officer of enterprise at Talkspace.
“One resounding common theme that we heard among [employers] was that, ‘I don’t know how to get people to use these benefits and I don’t have the time’ … It’s a big obstacle for them. They create this wonderful benefit package, but don’t know how to promote it and how to consistently promote it throughout the year,” Boyd said in an interview.
Talkspace Engage provides monthly “engagement plans,” which include links to on-demand virtual classes and workshops led by Talkspace clinicians. Each month is centered around a theme, with February’s being “emotional intelligence.” The plans also offer worksheets to help with areas like burnout and navigating conflict. HR representatives can share and promote these classes and worksheets to their employees via email.
The product also provides a library of mental health resources that are categorized into topics — such as dealing with grief — that employers can pick out and send to employees. In addition, employers can receive tips on how to create a healthier workplace environment. All of the content is created by Talkspace.
Talkspace Engage provides employers with real-time insights on how workers are interacting with the services as well, Boyd said.
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“For example, they could see that maybe 130 people logged on yesterday, 15 went to work on parenting skills, 24 attended the daily class and 79 people downloaded a worksheet,” she said.
Boyd added that several of Talkspace’s employer clients have already expressed interest in the product. She did not name which ones, but some of the company’s clients include Optum and Community Memorial Health System.
The news comes after last year’s release of Talkspace Self-Guided, which provides tools for people to work on their mental health on their own. With Talkspace Engage, the company ultimately hopes to reduce the burden faced by HR teams, Boyd said.
“We really want to make life as easy as possible for people on the team to be able to promote mental health and promote mental well-being and all the different resources that are available in the Talkspace Self-Guided app,” she stated.
Other virtual mental health providers include Headspace Health and Spring Health.
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