Research and Professional Development 3 - Industry Jobs in Digital Mental Health: Roles, Career Paths, and Lessons Learned

According to the 2021 Survey of Earned Doctorates, 64% of new PhDs in psychology reported that their first postgraduate job was outside of academia (NSF, 2021). Further, increasing numbers of psychologists have also moved to roles outside of clinical practice (APA, 2022), many finding work in the growing field of digital mental health (APA, 2024). However, resources for psychologists, therapists, and graduate students to learn about career paths in digital mental health are severely lacking in most training programs and in the field more broadly.

Digital mental health companies utilize technology to deliver services via mobile phone apps, web-based platforms, head mounted display extended reality software, and/or telehealth, and this area of industry has seen rapid growth in recent years. For example, there are more than 10,000 apps available for mental health (Carlo et al., 2019). For these services to reduce the burden of mental health disorders it is imperative that they are safe, culturally responsive, and effective. Therefore, there is a critical need for behavioral health professionals with expertise in CBT to lead and contribute to this work in industry.

In response to employment trends, the need for more professional development resources on industry careers, and the opportunity to significantly increase access to CBT, this panel will focus on industry jobs in digital mental health. Panelists are four clinical psychologists who have worked in a range of roles at digital mental health companies including clinical innovation and supervision, product development, research, and leadership roles, and range from early career to more senior professionals. Panelists work at companies that are providing mental health services through various methods including fully automated apps, virtual reality, and telehealth. Each panelist will describe their current role including how they apply their clinical, research, and cultural responsiveness training to their work. In addition, we will discuss skills that are desirable in these roles that do not necessarily come with formal training. Finally, we will provide specific concrete recommendations for how audience members can learn more if they are interested, and end with time for questions from the audience.