A new app created by an Austin therapist aims to revolutionize access to mental health care.
One in five adults in the United States was affected by mental illness in 2020, according to the National Institute of Health, and traditional psychotherapy costs can range from $100 to $200 per hour.
Hailey O’Neill’s new platform offers “an affordable form of therapy” in the form of “online mental health classes.”
MindBar has “curated the best mental health leaders to teach you how to grow as a person in self-paced online mental health classes.”
The platform offers classes in many areas of personal development, including anxiety, grief, mindfulness, and self-esteem, for $14.99 per month.
Since its launch in July, MindBar has gained “considerable traction,” O’Neill said. “Our members have enjoyed a wide range of tools to cultivate a healthy mind.”
She said, “We set out to represent the idea that mental health is a right, not a luxury, and the growth we’ve seen already within our app and its members is beginning to deliver on that ambition.”
“For many people, traditional mental health therapy is not easily available and is often too expensive, making mental health support feel like a luxury when, really, it should be the base that all other health and self-care efforts are built upon,” O’Neill said.
“I think of MindBar as a gym for our mental health: a variety of exercises to build different muscles that help us navigate challenges, with the supportive community component you may find at a workout class,” she continued. “Our team at MindBar has created a highly robust resource that can fit into anyone’s routine without the barriers.”
MindBar is not a replacement for therapy, but it does claim to be “therapeutic.” Its coaches and therapists have “created mental health classes to make the tools of therapy more accessible to people.”
The classes break their topics into video modules and worksheets. Users join a class rather than freely browsing videos on the platform, and each class is organized by one “teacher.”
Currently, there are 26 classes on the app, and one-on-one scheduling with teachers recently became available on September 18.
On MindBar’s website, O’Neill shares her story behind why she created the service. She explained, “My first experience trying to find the right therapist was exhausting and expensive.”
“I went to so many people before I met the right fit and was charged for every session,” she said.
While O’Neill eventually found the right therapist for her, she wanted everyone to have access to proper mental health care.
She said, “I began to wonder, ‘Why weren’t therapy classes as accessible as workout classes? Why didn’t friends discuss things they talk about in therapy at coffee shops? How do I help to create a culture of emotional awareness?'”
Wanting to “learn how to be there for someone struggling to manage their mental health,” O’Neill created MindBar.
Interested individuals can begin a seven-day free trial at mind-bar.com.
