Modern Health
Mental Wellbeing Driven By Passion, Science, And Technology

Employee wellness is a broad concept that involves physical, mental, and social wellbeing. That said, enough has been researched about the physical and social aspects and various strategies are in place to promote their wellbeing. But the same cannot be said about mental health. With the increasing complexity and robustness of modern lifestyle globally, employees today demand tailored mental wellbeing solutions built on advanced research till date in this domain. Looking under the hood, the solutions should take into account economic, social, political, and cultural rights that will enable them to thrive as individuals and as part of the community they live in.

Modern Health believes that a healthy mind leads to a healthy body, and for an employee, this means a productive day at the office. Needless to say, companies need to invest in the mental health of its workforce to ensure sustained business success. To that end, Modern Health takes a holistic approach to mental wellbeing. An approach that covers workplace culture.

stress, employee engagement, and employee benefits. Gone are the days when mental wellbeing was just about knowing how to monitor and control blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), cholesterol, glucose, and smoking habits. It is a multidisciplinary concept in today’s ever-changing society, and Modern Health stresses emotional wellness as an indelible part of mental health.

With these big ideas in mind, Modern Health has designed a mental wellness platform that combines the WHO well-being assessment, self-service wellness kits, an international network of certified coaches, and licensed therapists available. The platform is available in 35 languages. So employers who operate in a different global locations can initiate conversations with their geographically distributed employees personally and understand their definition of mental fitness and take measured approach to improved wellbeing. “At Modern Health, we believe there is no one-size-fits-all approach to mental wellbeing. We each have unique experiences, challenges, and preferences that shape our goals for our own mental health. And just like our physical health, these needs change over time as we move through life,” said Alyson Watson, founder and CEO of Modern Health.

Modern Health assesses the effectiveness of its offerings in three key areas: clinical, organizational, and cost. It measures individual improvements in mental health and well-being, including changes in emotional health constructs like anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction—which gives an indication of clinical effectiveness.

For measuring organizational effectiveness, it assesses improvements in company culture and individual functioning as it pertains to the company as a whole. The aspects factored in include employee retention, productivity, and employees’ perception of leadership support for mental health. To measure cost-effectiveness, Modern Health comprehends shifts in healthcare spend due to prevention and reduction in co-morbidities. Not to mention the examination of potential savings from improved organizational effectiveness.

All of this is done through Modern Health’s mental health platform which has at its heart a stepped-care model that offers the kind of support that is useful to a particular individual. The platform is designed based on the fact that accessing the right level of care is a challenge, and what makes the situation is the lack of skilled mental health professionals. To put an end to mismatched care which often leads to further distress, Modern Health’s mental health platform offers a range of solutions in a unified manner. Each individual is analyzed for the kind of support they need and a relevant type of car is preferred. At the outset, the platform users need to fill out a survey. The clinically-validated World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) survey allows the platform to understand how they have been feeling both in and outside of the workplace. Based on the findings, termed wellbeing index, the platform recommends apt care plans. These plans are an amalgamation of proactive and preventive solutions delivered as a combination of digital programs, certified coaching, and evidence-based therapy.

First, the digital programs offered by the platform are evidence-based practices, skills, and meditations that can be accessed on mobile. These programs are aimed at inculcating the right behavior and lifestyle. Second, individuals looking for support in managing situational stress related to work or their personal lives can avail certified coaching. Certified subject matter experts bring to the table effective and actionable advice which can be combined with digital programs for improved mental wellbeing. Third, evidence-based therapy in the platform offers clinical support governed by licensed therapist either virtually or in-person.

“More importantly, we recognize that each person’s mental health needs evolve over time as they encounter new experiences and challenges. That is why our recommended care plans are dynamic as well. Our users are prompted to routinely check in on their well-being, and as their score changes, our care plan recommendation adjusts accordingly to account for their needs. This comprehensive set of offerings is what enables our platform to uniquely meet people wherever they are in their mental health journey,” explained Alyson.

The conception of Modern Health is rooted in research. Based on the research findings, the cornerstone of the company was laid with the idea of enabling mental healthcare to be the fourth pillar of employee benefits through its stepped care model. “By matching people with the right level of care based on their need, our model addresses the enormous treatment gap in mental health care and provides a continuum of clinically effective services to more people at a lower cost,” says Dr. Sara Sagui-Henson, Behavioral Scientist at Modern Health. “We start with a triaging protocol that leverages the clinically validated WHO-5, PHQ-2, and GAD-2 assessments to screen individuals and recommend options for care. We are unrelenting in reviewing applicants to our global provider network, ensuring that we only engage therapists and coaches who rely on evidence-based treatments in their work. And we consistently infuse cutting-edge, research-backed behavioral science into our digital mental health programs.”

Mental Health uses quantitative surveys to examine current trends in the mental health landscape. In May 2020, the company partnered with consumer insight firm Spectacle Strategy to survey more than 500 US and 200 UK adults about the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health. The survey findings have been used as supporting evidence in national and international media stories on mental health. These findings have also served as the guiding light for the company’s client support strategies in the post-COVID-19 world.