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We all know how important it is to look after our mental health and well-being. However, it can be difficult to find the time for some much needed self-care particularly with a demanding job. There has been a boom of mental health focused startups in the last 10 years, also fueled by the negative effects of COVID-19 on our mental health. We’ve picked out a few unique companies that offer support for individuals as well as company run programs alike - maybe one of these might fit into your busy schedule or be of use for a colleague or friend who is struggling…
This startup is one of the big guns when it comes to mental health. They aim to make professional therapy services more affordable, accessible and convenient to people across the globe with sessions starting at 49-60 GBP/week. This remote therapy service paved the way for virtual therapy sessions, even before the pandemic moved everything into the online space. There is a lot of flexibility involved with the service Better Help provides, including changing therapists if your initial pairing is not a good match, live chat sessions and prioritising accessibility for disabled users.
Quick trip to Cornwall anyone? For those of you who prefer to do something offline for a change, Thera-Sea offers mental health focused rebuilding retreats on the Cornish coast led by experienced mental health nurse Katy Griffin. Their off-grid experiences - think of a 300-year-old stone cottage, only accessible by boat, cold-water therapy, open fire feasts and no phone reception - focus on bringing wellness back to basics through the six pillars of lifestyle medicine - physical activity, relaxation, purpose, sleep hygiene, nutrition, and healthy relationships. Going through this adventure with an educational twist, participants can expect to learn how to better deal with stress and manage their mental health in evidence-based workshops drawing on Katy’s experience as a mental health clinician.
This startup provides corporate one-to-one coaching for the employees of companies who enlist their services. Offering help to everyone, from interns to CEO's, their coaching system focuses on any areas of life necessary; from relationships, to parenting, to finding confidence in the workplace, they do it all! What is ‘coaching’ you say? It’s different to therapy in that it focuses on the present and making a future that’s right for you, rather than evaluating the past. If you find you particularly connect with a coach, you can request to have this same coach again for multiple sessions!
A unique approach to well-being is brought to you by the Berlin based social impact startup tbd*. Their well-being fellowship allows companies to take responsibility for their staff’s mental health by running a 6 week online retreat during working hours - yes, you heard me right! Team leaders are required to free up their staff’s time to attend bi-weekly sessions over the course of 6 weeks meaning employees are not expected to find time in their busy schedule to attend a session after a long day of work whilst juggling family and friends. The fellowship’s principle is aiming to achieve a longer-term change in how to deal with stress by practising new skills over several weeks being supported by your colleagues = have your personal peer group to cheer you on. Run by an experienced therapist, the fellowship has proven to not only boost the individuals’ well-being over time but also helped strengthen the bond between team members of different departments, particularly in remote teams.
