The state of California has committed up to $500 million over four years on mental health apps to benefit teens. Many mental health advocates worry that taxpayers will not get their money’s worth nor young Californias get the care taxpayers are funding. Early signs are not encouraging. Advocates say the rollout has been slow and utilization low. So far, only about 0.1% of eligible young people have signed up. There are also concerns about whether the mental health coaches will know when to refer teens for more intensive care.
With little pomp, California launched two apps at the start of the year offering free behavioral health services to youths to help them cope with everything from living with anxiety to body acceptance.
Through their phones, young people and some caregivers can meet BrightLife Kids and Soluna coaches, some who specialize in peer support or substance use disorders, for roughly 30-minute virtual counseling sessions that are best suited to those with more mild needs, typically those without a clinical diagnosis. The apps also feature self-directed activities, such as white noise sessions, guided breathing, and videos of ocean waves to help users relax.
California is the first state to offer free mental health coaching to all young residents, although schools in several other states have signed agreements for more limited use. Notice I did not say counseling. Coaching is a more accurate description, and that is the word Kaiser Family Foundation Health News used.
Newsom’s administration says the apps fill a need for young Californians and their families to access professional telehealth for free, in multiple languages, and outside of standard 9-to-5 hours.
The virtual platforms come amid rising depression and suicide rates among youth and a shortage of mental health providers. Nearly half of California youths from the ages of 12 to 17 report having recently struggled with mental health issues, with nearly a third experiencing serious psychological distress, according to a 2021 study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Kaiser Family Foundation also had concerns about how it’s being presented. The website is confusing, positioned alongside insurance-based care models. I suspect it’s intended to capture billing information for those teens with insurance.
Although the service is intended to be free with no insurance requirement, Brightline’s app, BrightLife Kids, is folded into and only accessible through the company’s main app, which asks for insurance information and directs users to paid licensed counseling options alongside the free coaching.
School counselors believe the money could have been better spent expanding the number of counselors in schools or funded more in-person social workers. Moreover, similar services were already available, causing many experts to wonder why new funding is needed to duplicate existing apps.
If California officials want to get innovative there are better and likely cheaper ways to do so. Social media is used for everything these days. We think of Facebook where people connect with friends, frenemies and friends of friends to share updates about life’s landmarks. YouTube videos are free education for everyone to see and comment on. Discussion forums like Reddit cater to diverse communities of people with common interests. It only makes sense then for firms to harness the power of asynchronous communication for counseling and the wisdom of crowds.
Social media is sometimes accused of damaging young peoples’ self-esteem but could also be used to support their mental health. Remember the old Bob Newhart show? Dr. Hartly held group counseling sessions weekly for patients who seemed more eccentric than depressed. Why no social media company has tried peer-support group therapy is beyond me. Maybe they have but I have missed it. I have written about mental health apps here, saying:
Computers, Zoom and smart phones seem tailor-made for interacting with mental health counselors. However, social workers stress that app-based psychotherapy isn’t for people with serious mental illness, those with suicidal thoughts or those unable to function independently. Maybe it’s therapy for the worried well using telephone-based therapy apps or those who just want someone to talk to.
My idea of a Reddit virtual group sessions, moderated by a few mental health counselors, is sounding better and better.
Read more at KFF Health News: California Is Investing $500M in Therapy Apps for Youth. Advocates Fear It Won’t Pay Off