At Headspace, we’ve always believed that mental health support should be end-to-end, personalized, proactive, and accessible. Today, I’m proud to share how we’re deepening that commitment with our new stratified care model for organizations—powered by Ebb, our empathetic AI companion. 

In my clinical experience, I’ve seen firsthand how vital it is to meet people where they are. Yet traditional and even modern EAPs often take a one-size-fits-all approach, defaulting to therapy as the primary solution. The system was built for the few in crisis – those with serious mental illness – not the majority of people who need everyday mental health support. That’s why our team has built a care model that starts by understanding the whole person from the outset. By using conversational AI, we can evaluate a member’s symptoms, preferences, and risk factors and then intelligently guide them to the most appropriate level of care—whether that’s self-guided tools, coaching, therapy, psychiatry, or work-life services.

This isn’t just about offering more choices. It’s about delivering the right care at the right time, so people get the support they need before symptoms escalate—improving outcomes and helping organizations manage downstream costs tied to absenteeism, presenteeism, and high-cost care.

Here’s how our new stratified care model works:

Ebb, an empathetic AI companion to support employees

Built by a team of clinical psychologists and data scientists, Ebb is a conversational AI tool trained in motivational interviewing, an evidence-based methodology that can help people make positive behavioral changes. With the guidance of Ebb, employees can engage in self-reflection, process thoughts and emotions, and receive personalized content recommendations from over 5,000 meditations and activities in the Headspace library. Since launching Ebb to our direct-to-consumer members in late 2024, we’ve seen over 2 million messages exchanged – on everything from workplace stress and burnout to relationship challenges. Ebb is now available to our organizational partners to support employees in the moments that matter. 

Smarter triage and personalized care plans that adapt to employee needs  

We combine clinically validated assessments with AI-driven insights to create tailored care plans based on severity, preferences, and goals. Members are supported throughout their journey with real-time progress tracking, personalized recommendations, and seamless transitions between Ebb, content, a coach, or a therapist. Today 62% of Headspace’s enterprise members engage in two or more care modalities, signaling the desire for a personalized, integrated care plan that fits into their daily lives.

Personalized provider matching to build therapeutic alliance

Therapeautic alliance matters. That’s why we’re using machine learning to connect members with the right provider based on identity preferences, availability, and expertise—across our network of over 15,000 licensed providers and 70,000+ through extended networks. Support is available via video, in-person care, and 24/7 phone and text.

Benefits navigation for whole-person care

Many employees don’t know where to start when it comes to finding help. That’s why our platform includes easy navigation across Headspace offerings and employer-sponsored benefits—connecting mental, physical, and social health into one seamless experience. This connected experience also improves benefits utilization.

Global scalability with multilingual and culturally responsive care

We’re committed to making mental health support accessible for all employees—across languages and cultural contexts. Support will span more than 100 languages for clinical and coaching services, with award-winning content and navigation tools expanding to 27 languages.

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Everyone deserves mental health support—but not everyone needs the same kind. We were an early pioneer of end-to-end mental health care, knowing that people experience better outcomes when they engage in the right combination of human and self-guided care, not just a one-size-fits-all approach. We’re now taking that to the next level with our stratified care model, which is designed to adapt with members as they move through their care journeys, ensuring they get what they need, when they need it.

Discover how our stratified care model can drive better outcomes for your people. Connect with our team today.

Availability Timeline: 

• Now Available: Ebb, Headspace’s empathetic AI companion.
• Coming January 2026: Smart triage and personalized care plans, real-time progress tracking and goal setting, personalized provider matching, digital benefits navigation.
• Throughout 2026: Global language expansion.

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