Podcast

Even before the pandemic, mental health was the #1 cause of disability worldwide.

Yet most people didn’t feel comfortable sharing their mental health struggles and many waited until they were in crisis to ask for help—if they asked for help at all.

So, how can we destigmatize mental health and provide people all over the world with access to ongoing support?

Alyson Watson is the Founder and CEO of Modern Health, a global mental health benefits solution for employers. Modern Health takes a preventative approach to mental health, leveraging clinically validated assessments to offer employees access to their own personalized mental healthcare plan.

On this episode of HLTH Matters, Alyson joins host Dr. Gautam Gulati to explain how she defines health in terms of the mind-body connection and describe how she thinks about mental health on a spectrum. Alyson walks us through the process of using the Modern Health app and discusses the benefit of providing mental health support options beyond traditional therapy. Listen in for Alyson’s insight around the opportunity for innovation in the mental health space and learn how Modern Health is working to make mental health support more accessible to employees around the world.

Topics Covered

• How Alyson’s experience with therapy inspired the creation of Modern Health
• How Alyson defines health in terms of the mind-body connection
• What prompted our growing awareness of mental health needs
• How Alyson thinks about mental health on a spectrum from green to red
• Why technology has a negative impact on our mental health
• Modern Health’s function as a mental health benefits platform for employers
• How Modern Health provides access to personalized mental healthcare plans
• How Alyson’s team keeps employee information confidential (and what data they DO share with employers)
• Providing options for mental health support beyond the therapy-first model
• The opportunity for innovation in the mental health support space

Connect with Alyson Watson

Modern Health

Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati

HLTH

Dr. G. on LinkedIn

Dr. G. on Twitter

Resources

Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Vivek H. Murthy

International Coaching Federation

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Behavioral Therapy

Motivational Interviewing

Circles by Modern Health

Introductory Quote

[4:46] “Well, it’s really interesting to think about that even before this pandemic hit, mental health was the #1 cause of disability worldwide."