For parents and caregivers, their mental health and well-being is interwoven with the health and well-being of their family unit as a whole. This means that the way caregivers show up at work can be heavily impacted by the mental health of their loved ones. In order to best support employee mental health, organizations must also support the mental health of employees’ families. In fact, research shows that 63% of working parents have reported reducing their hours in order to care for a child with a mental health condition.

When employers provide mental health benefits that support the entire family, it enables caregivers to meet their children’s needs and create a more stable environment at home — leading them to also be more present, engaged, and productive in the workplace. In our 2023 Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health report, we found that 76% of caregivers have taken advantage of their mental health benefits, in comparison to 33% of non-caregivers – demonstrating the value that mental health offerings hold for caregivers.

The Family Connection: A Crucial Link

Care for the whole family means a care team that wraps around both parents and children — enabling coaches, clinicians, caregivers, and dependents to work together to improve mental health, while developing skills to improve inter-familial relationships and better support each other. Every family is unique, so this looks different for everyone — but it starts with a model of collaborative care.

By leveraging different mental healthcare and well-being tools — like tailored, self-guided content, behavioral health coaching, and therapy or psychiatry — each member of the family can find the support they need to improve their mental health and understand how to support and communicate with each other. 

Headspace takes a comprehensive approach to family mental health, offering:

• Support for caregivers: Headspace offers coaching and clinical care for caregivers, in addition to our Parents’ meditation and mindfulness content, and eldercare support through Headspace EAP.
• Support for teens: Headspace's team-based approach ensures teens receive tailored care, addressing issues like anxiety, academic stress, and diagnosed conditions. We also offer mindfulness and meditation exercises as well as self-care resources for teens.
• Support for children: With our kid-focused content, like Unicorn Island and our partnerships with Sesame Street and Star Wars, we offer an age-adapted approach to mindfulness and meditation.

Comprehensive mental healthcare for employees and their families is crucial. Supporting family mental health helps caregivers balance home and work, leading to greater purpose and productivity. Beyond offering holistic mental health support for employees and their families, there are steps employers can take to create a culture that supports employee mental health. Interested in learning more? Read the full report here.