Today there are various websites, services, and products geared toward health and wellness. One health and wellness treatment that is on the rise is Modern Therapy. Modern Therapy is a mental health program that provides clinical mental health treatment via email, text, phone, and video sessions.
This service has connections with other new health-technology companies such as Doctor on Demand and Maven Clinic. Doctor on Demand is an app you can download on any smartphone that sets up online appointments with doctors over video.
The Maven Clinic app is available to download for iOS. It is geared toward women and allows them to set up online appointments over video with questions they have concerning prenatal and postpartum care, nutrition, and other health areas. These apps make it significantly easier for those with busy schedules and those who live long distance from providers to receive access to essential health professionals.
However, at a time where more Americans than ever have access to healthcare services, 56% of American adults with mental illnesses do not receive treatment, according to one statistic from Mental Health America. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness:
- 1 in 4 college students have a diagnosable mental illness,
- 40% do not seek help,
- 80% feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities, and
- 50% have become so anxious that they struggle in school.
These statistics show that mental health is an issue that isn’t treated with as much care as it deserves. College students are faced with many pressures and hectic schedules that make it easy to put off meeting with a mental health counselor when there are essays, tests, homework, deadlines, extracurricular, jobs and more to do. Modern Therapy makes it easier for students to receive the services they need despite the chaos of everyday life.
“This is actually the first time I have heard about this kind of therapy. It seems like great therapy on-the-go and it’s good for people with busy schedules, but honestly I’d rather sit and talk with a therapist the traditional way because that’s what I’m used to,” Alessandra Gluf, a senior majoring in Music Performance and Communication Sciences and Disorders, said.
Anna Savva, a freshman majoring in political science, said, “That sounds like a great idea. We live in a world surrounded by technology, so why not use its advantage of accessibility? It’s hard to be a college student, and stress and anxiety is more common than not. To have this on demand service can definitely help a lot of people, not just young adults!”
Savva still expressed some reservations. “I am skeptical about the actual ways this could help people with disorders other than depression and anxiety. Just as an eBook is not the same as a hard copy, nothing will be able to match one-on-one therapy. Despite this, it does seem like a great way to combat insecurities and loneliness in a technological era.”
Replacing the personal touch of a traditional in-person therapy session is hard to simulate over the phone, but Modern Therapy seeks to remove all the issues that come with traditional therapy services. I asked co-founder Brandon Christiansen what inspired Modern Therapy to begin and he shared that, “Cassie, our co-founder was a therapist at a private practice and was amazed by the amount of barriers her clients faced to getting therapy. She noticed that some of the key barriers were that it was difficult for clients to deal with the insurance companies, co-pays tended to be very expensive, and it was impossible to schedule appointments quickly. There was a significant amount of trial and error in attempts to find a therapist clients connected with, clients felt embarrassed to sit in a waiting room, and clients found themselves having to cancel in person sessions frequently.”
Another goal of Modern Therapy that Christiansen shared was to remove the stigma around receiving therapy. With such access literally at our fingertips, therapy is available to anybody who feels the need to talk to someone about anything that is bothering them. Since this therapy is available anytime and anywhere to anyone, this creates huge strides in the therapy business.
Now, individuals need to be encouraged more to take the time to seek help when they feel anxious or overwhelmed. Whether it’s traditional or via cell phone, there are therapy options that cater to the different needs of countless individuals.
