Streamlining access to practitioners with AI Talk Matching

Currently, a large proportion of the workforce faces multiple barriers to mental health support when they need it. From waitlists to limited local services, two-thirds of people in need never receive any kind of mental health support. With record levels of burnout and stress for the global workforce, these barriers are having a knock-on effect on mental health and productivity at work. 

At Unmind, we’re breaking down these barriers by delivering universal, workplace-wide access to therapy and coaching through Unmind Talk. By offering rapid access, expert guidance, and a choice of therapeutic approaches, we’re supporting employees to improve their mental health, promote wellbeing, and perform more effectively.

As the importance of AI is growing in the workplace, Unmind is introducing an AI-powered feature that simplifies the process of finding the right practitioner and proactively matches individuals to the right expert based on their unique situation – be it managing stress, improving mood, or enhancing parenting skills. 

By helping employees connect with an appropriate practitioner faster, we can use AI to maximize the value of investment in Talk and provide employees with the right care at the right time.

Why matching with the right practitioner matters 

Across healthcare and wellbeing solutions, empowering people to decide on the treatment options that are right for them supports better treatment outcomes. With greater choice, users can feel more engaged in managing their health and can select options that meet their specific needs. 

Unlike traditional providers, Unmind Talk offers users the choice of a wide selection of therapies and practitioners without any barriers to access. This can help users choose providers based on their preferences, including the type of therapy, focus areas (e.g. LGBTQIA+, trauma-informed support, relationships), and demographic background (age, gender, ethnicity). 

Effectively matching a user and practitioner can have a big impact on treatment outcomes. Research shows that, post-matching, users feel more supported and understood because their therapist has more experience supporting issues that matter most to them.

At Unmind, we recognize that the journey from realizing the need for mental health support to actively seeking it can already be daunting and contribute to decision fatigue. It became clear that we needed to streamline the process. By the time individuals consider choosing a practitioner, they might already feel overwhelmed by the steps taken just to reach that point. We aim to ensure that selecting a practitioner does not become a barrier to receiving support.

By simplifying the search process, every user can quickly and confidently find a practitioner who truly aligns with their needs. By getting to know the users’ needs, Talk Matching curates a shortlist of suitable options, eliminating overwhelming search results and helping employees connect with an appropriate practitioner faster.  This helps reduce drop-out and decision fatigue by streamlining a time-consuming step to seeking support.

For organizations, this means that we’re maximizing the value of your investment in Talk, while ensuring that employees are receiving the right level of care.

How it works

The matching process is designed to be straightforward and user-friendly, ensuring that users can begin their mental health journey with ease:

• Initial questions: Upon their first visit to Unmind Talk, users are prompted to describe their therapeutic goals and select their preferred methods of engagement (e.g. goals, key areas to discuss) This step is crucial in helping us understand what they are looking for in a therapy session.

• AI-Powered matching: Our system uses AI to analyze these responses. It then shows results of practitioners who are best suited to meet their specific needs, based on factors like expertise, location, and language preferences.

• Select: From the filtered list of practitioners, the system will recommend up to three top matches. This allows users to choose a practitioner who meets their criteria and has the potential to provide the most effective support for their unique situation.
• ‍Book session: After the matching process, users' top practitioner choices will be prominently displayed on the Talk homepage, making it easy for them to view their profiles and make a final decision.

What’s next?

Unmind is leading the revolution of wellbeing at work. Through continuous technological innovation and a deep commitment to transparency, safety, and human-centered design, we are eager to lead the way in transforming mental health support, making it more accessible, intuitive, and tailored to the needs of every individual. Join us as we continue to redefine wellbeing at work.

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