This Free Mental Health App Offers Virtual Therapy Sessions at a Lower Cost
Seek help anytime, anywhere with this app.
(SPOT.ph) In need of a safe space? Don't worry, you are not alone. Mental health tech company Mind You has launched a free app that offers cheaper services with licensed psychologists so Filipinos can address their mental health and wellness issues without having to step outside the comforts of their home.
The Mind You App harnesses technology in hopes of addressing these gaps in the Philippine mental health landscape—the stigma about mental health issues, the small pool of licensed psychologists versus the population in need of help, and the sky-high cost for mental health care—to give Filipinos a lifeline during times of struggle.
"We want to destigmatize the concept of seeking mental help," said Mind You's Senior Psychologist Rea Celine Villa during a roundtable discussion with the media.
Also read: You Can Get a Free Mental Health Consultation in Genshin Impact, Mobile Legends
Why a free mental health app matters
While the Philippines has its own Mental Health Law, cultural stigma is one of the biggest deterrents for Filipinos who want answers to their mental health problems.
"We have this sense of hiya, fear of judgment, or even confusion when it comes to what mental health is," said Mind You Vice President and Psychologist Miguel Valdez.
Add to that the access gap as there is only one licensed psychologist for every 125,000 Filipinos and the expensive price of seeking psych help as each session can cost at least P2,000 (that's more than three times the daily minimum wage in Metro Manila) and may not be covered by corporate-sponsored health insurance plan—if employees have access to it in the first place. These contribute to the Philippines ranking third in the Western Pacific region when it comes to mental health problems, as per the World Health Organization.
While not everyone is experiencing grief or trauma, all humans are in different stages of wellness who need help to improve their quality of life, said CEO Yuri Marshall. Feeling lonely? Can't address workplace issues? Having problems talking to your partner? Experiencing family troubles? The app and those behind it can help address these issues, too.
"Some of the concerns we've encountered are not always about extreme life events. Sometimes, they go to psychologists for love problems, if they can't say no to a person in the company or in the famiy so we give assertiveness training. If you're an introvert and you want to mingle, we have social skills training. It's not always about trauma, anxiety, depression. We also cater with real things that people experience," said Villa.
"You have a relationship with yourself and seeing a therapist whether it's to fix something or to improve your quality of life, it is simply you working on your relationship with yourself—your relationship with our own memories, your relation with your opinion on yourself," Valdez said.
What you can do in the free Mind You mental health app
Book an online session with a licensed psychologist
Through this app, you can talk to a registered psychologist of your choice. Mind You prides itself in giving its clients freedom to choose whom to partner with in their mental health journey by allowing them to filter practitioners based on language spoken (currently available in English, Filipino, Bisaya, and Ilocano), specialization (grief, family issues, anxiety, gender sensitivity, and more), and gender preference. Booking a virtual session is cheaper here too as one session cost P1,680 wherever you are in the Philippines.
Monitor your mood
The app has a Mood Tracker where you can answer the question "How are you feeling today?" with an emoji of the mood you're currently in. When you log more journal entries, the app can give you a better insight as to how you are faring for that month. Who knows, maybe you had a bad day, but not a bad month.
Get mental health tips + self-help guides
Got two minutes? Learn more about self-care and more through the articles published in the app. It covers a wide range of topics like balancing work and mental health, how to cope in times of disaster,m the benefits of a good night's sleep, and even tips on how to overcome your impostor syndrome.
Listen to podcasts
Don't feel like talking? It's okay, maybe listening to a podcast can help. Celebrities like Nadine Lustre and Yassi Pressman share their own experiences to the Mind You app community as their way of shattering the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
Watch helpful videos
Why do we struggle with rest? How can mindful walking help you? These are just some of the topics covered by the short videos uploaded in the Mind You app so if you have a couple of minutes to spare, or even when you're just waiting for the bus to arrive, you can find them at the Resources page.
The MindYou app is free to download via Google Playstore and Apple App Store.