Innovating in the Mental Health Sector

Desired outcome

We are looking for innovative product ideas to address the difficulties people have when trying to find the right mental health support, specifically the right therapist. The ideas should incorporate the key aspect of personality-fit between the therapist and the client. Additionally, the ideas should make it easier for users to find therapists who are LGBTQIA+-friendly, or who have specific cultural knowledge, to further reduce the fears and barriers that people from underrepresented groups face when accessing mental health support.

Initial Problem Description

“Mental health therapy is more successful when you have a good relationship with your therapist”. This statement sounds obvious, and it's true - there's decades of research showing that the "personality-fit" (or therapeutic relationship) between a therapist and their client is one of the most consistent determinants of how successful the outcomes of therapy will be (e.g. Horvath & Symonds, 1991 and Baldwin et al, 2007), as well how likely it is that the therapy will be prematurely terminated (e.g. Meier et al, 2006). Yet, none of the existing routes-to-therapy, whether public or private, take this critical factor into account.
As a result, the current route to find the “right” therapist has become an exhausting process of trial-and-error, with studies finding that individuals struggling with their mental health are having to try up to 12 therapists (Palumbo et al, 2020). This is not only expensive and time-wasting, but it is emotionally debilitating, since the individual is forced to re-explain their traumas each time they meet with a new therapist, only to find themselves back at square one again.

Additionally, this poses significant problems for the healthcare system, with 50% of patients prematurely dropping out of therapy in the NHS (Connell et al., 2006), as well as problems for private therapists, who are facing high levels of client "churn" and struggling to maintain consistent income (e.g. Nissen-Lie et al., 2017).

The abundance of research consistently emphasising the significance of personality-fit in clinical outcomes and drop-out rates, coupled with the oversight of current routes-to-therapy in neglecting this crucial factor, motivates Shrink Wrap to explore innovative solutions that can significantly improve existing practices from all angles.

Context

Unfortunately, existing routes for finding a therapist, whether public or private, do not account for the critical factor of personality-fit when seeking therapy. Currently, individuals seeking mental health therapy must book sessions with multiple therapists and essentially "try them out" to assess the potential fit, resulting in a mentally, logistically, and often financially draining process.

This current system poses significant challenges for various parties:
1) Individuals seeking mental health therapy, with research revealing that people are having to try up to 12 different therapists before finding the right fit (Palumbo et al, 2020), it goes without saying that this process is time-consuming, costly (especially in private settings), and emotionally taxing since individuals have to repeatedly recount their traumas to each new therapist, only to find themselves back at square one again. It is no surprise then, that a recent survey of over 2,000 consumers found that 72% of those seeking mental health care say searching for the right therapist overwhelms them (ValuePenguin, 2020).
2) The healthcare system, with 50% of patients dropping out of therapy in the NHS (Connell et al., 2006), highlighting the inefficiency and resource drain associated with ineffective therapy.
3) Therapists building their private practice, facing high levels of client "churn," struggling to maintain consistent income due to frequent drop-outs, and experiencing morale depletion (Nissen-Lie et al., 2017; Falkenström et al., 2018).

Connection to cross-cutting areas

1. Digitalisation: Shrink Wrap seeks to utilise people-centred and system-aware design principles to design an innovative new digital solution, with the potential to deliver significant improvements in the mental health sector. The challenge involves utilising innovative technology to revolutionise the route-to-therapy for people suffering with their mental health.

Participants are encouraged to design creative solutions that embrace digital tools to help users find a therapist they can get on with, incorporating “personality-fit” (or therapeutic relationship) in their search process. The solution should be accessible, responsive, and technologically advanced.

2. Industry 4.0: by emphasizing the use of cutting-edge technologies to revolutionise the mental health sector.

Input

Shrink Wrap will initially target the domestic UK market, focusing on individuals seeking therapy. Around 8 million adults have received mental health treatment in the UK (APMS, 2014), with the NHS allocating over £13 billion to mental healthcare in 2022/23 (NHS England), and the private therapy market valued at approximately £2.5 billion annually (Mental Health Foundation). Moreover, with common mental health problems in the UK estimated to affect 1 in every 6 people in a single week (McManus et al., 2016), the wider costs to the UK economy are estimated between £70 to £100 billion per year – 4.5% of total GDP (Chief Medical Officer's report, 2013). The COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasised the importance of quality mental health support, with a recent survey revealing that 56% of therapy seekers reported increased willingness to seek mental health help due to the crisis (ValuePenguin, 2020).

Considering that roughly 50% of NHS primary care therapy services are prematurely terminated (Connell et al., 2006), and the therapeutic relationship has consistently been identified as a crucial determinant of clinical outcomes (e.g. Baldwin et al., 2007), there appears to be a notable opportunity to create an innovative solution that addresses this critical aspect.
Shrink Wrap's target market encompasses a diverse range of therapy seekers (subsets will be defined during the discovery phase of the project), and the solution must also meet the needs of therapists and other potential stakeholders, including businesses and commissioners.

The solution will operate within the mental health service value chain, differentiating itself by focusing on the critical aspect of the therapeutic relationship, to enhance therapy outcomes, reduce premature drop-out rates, and support therapists in developing a consistent client base.

To enter the UK market successfully, Shrink Wrap must create a robust and user-friendly platform that attracts qualified therapists and fosters user trust. Compliance with data protection and privacy regulations is crucial for ensuring user confidence and meeting regulatory standards.

Expectations

We would like to be able to be informed throughout the process and we expect that the team will approach this challenge in an innovative way that prioritises the user experience. We expect that solutions will be scalable and take into account the diverse range of needs of both people seeking therapy, and therapists themselves.

The goal is to help people who are struggling with their mental health to find the therapist that is the “right fit” for them more quickly, taking into account personality-fit in the search process.

We also expect the team to consider financial model and a variety of revenue streams when coming up with their ideas.

We would like the team to take into account an idea we have in mind but also use their own input and ideas to provide us with a complete solution to address our challenge.

Desired Team Profile

We would love to have an interdisciplinary team from psychology, technology, design and UX. Since the solution will involve a mobile application there will need to be experience in this area within the team, and because the solution will involve vulnerable users it would be ideal to have experience regarding handling sensitive data. Clinical and/or mental health service awareness would be a huge bonus, especially in terms of vetting therapists and ensuring quality therapy is being provided on the app.
We are aware that this perfect combination is certainly difficult to realise so we are open for teams from all of these backgrounds.
The most important skills for this job are actually independent of academic background, i.e. analytical skills, empathy, interest in user-centric design and the ability to think outside the box.

Additional Information

Direct competitors: While there are platforms claiming to “match” users with the best therapist, such as BetterHelp and TalkSpace, this is often restricted to issue (e.g. anxiety, depression etc) and modality (e.g. psychotherapy, CBT, CFT). They do not take into account personality, individual preferences or additional barriers. Shrink Wrap seeks to empower the user and differentiates itself based on personalisation, quality, and price.

Indirect competitors: Therapist directories, such as Psychologytoday.com, provide lists of therapists with basic information about their experience. They do not help the user to find a good fit. Shrink Wrap differentiates itself based on personalisation, remote access and ease of use.

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