Since 2020, there has been a drastic decrease in the stigma that surrounds mental health within many workplaces. Employees are more eager to hear their leaders speak about mental health, and many more leaders feel comfortable doing so. While only 35% of employees in 2020 reported that their company’s leaders talk about their own mental health, 89% say their leaders do so today. 

With decreased stigma - paired with ongoing global conflict, political turmoil and workplace stress – there is a growing desire among employees to seek mental health support. However, we’re facing a significant provider shortage in the U.S. In fact, 50% of U.S. counties don’t have access to a single mental health provider, and low-income areas and communities of color are most affected. It can be difficult to access care in rural areas and economically-stressed cities. On average, Americans have a waiting period of 48 days before receiving mental healthcare. 

As a society faced with extreme provider shortages, it’s time to think about alternate interventions to better support employee mental health. Headspace is addressing this shortage – paired with employees’ increased desire for mental health support – by offering mental health coaches through its consumer, enterprise and health plan channels. To date, Headspace mental health coaches have led nearly 2M sessions with millions of members over the past nine years. 

Mental health coaches take an action-oriented approach to care, helping members address professional and personal challenges with stress management techniques, healthy routines, and communication strategies. Mental health coaching, unlike therapy, focuses on the present and the future and is intended to help members set and achieve goals.

We recently surveyed a majority of our coaches to get deeper insight into their jobs and how they help their patients.

What do Headspace members turn to mental health coaches for support with?

Headspace coaches work with members to feel less alone, less worried, more well-rested, and more in control of their life. In the survey, we asked our coaches to identify the most common challenges that Headspace members seek support with. Here are the top four:

• 75% of respondents said social and/or romantic relationships
• 74% said workplace, career or professional challenges
• 54% said with familial relationships
• 41% said major life changes, such as moving or divorce

Coaches have also found that members see the support as an opportunity to familiarize themselves with mental healthcare; the offering has served as an ‘entry point’ for many. “I have had many members thank me for making mental healthcare feel comfortable when they have reached out for the first time — giving them the confidence to reach out to other providers for care, like therapists,” said Catherine West, Headspace mental health coach, noted. 

How do mental health coaches help Headspace members?

Headspace’s coaches meet with members via confidential, 1:1 text-based sessions. Our coaches shared the most common techniques they use to help or support members in reaching their goals through these sessions:

• 78% of respondents said they use motivational interviewing frequently with members – which is a technique designed to help patients embrace change and alter unhealthy behaviors
• 53% responded with exploring and setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals
• 46% noted that they help members implement mindfulness-based stress reduction strategies, which can include techniques like deep-breathing exercises, yoga, or meditation
• 42% responded with teaching distress tolerance skills, which can help members increase their ability to manage emotional stress

“Many of my members feel like they now have more confidence in their own self-efficacy when it comes to emotional regulation, important health habits like sleep, diet and exercise, and they have become good at letting go of things out of their control,” Ken Kiser, Headspace mental health coach observed.

What improvements do members report experiencing when working with a mental health coach?

In the survey, our mental health coaches said the immediate improvements they often see in the Headspace members they work with are:

• 72% report members feeling less stressed
• 70% report members feeling more in control of their life
• 62% report members feeling less alone
• 57% report members feeling less worried

“I repeatedly hear from my members how much relief they feel at the end of the first two sessions from just having a plan and having someone to talk through things with,” one coach commented in the survey.

“Our members know how to solve their own problems, but sometimes they just need the space to unpack and process it so that they can create their own goals that are unique and supportive for them,” a senior Headspace mental health coach, Radha Dalal, added. “Holding that space and offering unconditional positive regard can go a long way.”

Headspace mental health coaches have a wealth of experience

Many of Headspace’s full-time coaches have years of experience in their roles. Of the coaches who completed the survey, more than one-third (35%) have more than five years of coaching experience, and 11% have more than ten years of experience. All Headspace mental health coaches have either completed the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) Approved Training Program and/or have earned a Master's-level degree in a psychology related field. Every Headspace coach has over two years of relevant work experience, at least 200+ hours of supervised training, and participates in weekly continuing education training offered through the Headspace Training Institute's Mental Health Coach Training Program.

Our previous research showed the power of text-based coaching. The research found that 59% of Headspace Care members completing follow-up experienced significant improvement in anxiety symptoms. Additionally, 69% of Headspace Care members completing follow-up experienced significant improvement in depression symptoms.

Because of its effectiveness and because of the growing need for it, the discipline of mental health coaching is on the rise. Similar to the way that a physician’s assistant (PA) might support a physician, mental health coaches are filling an important gap in the system and offering immediate relief to patients in their personal and professional lives.

Learn more about how Headspace mental health coaching can support your employees.

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