3 - (SYM 109) Engagement in a Full Spectrum Mental Health Platform Offering Mindfulness Content and Virtual Coaching and Therapy

Mindfulness and meditation reduce stress and improve wellbeing, and virtual mental healthcare has demonstrated effectiveness in treating anxiety and depression while increasing care accessibility. Headspace's blend of self-guided mindfulness content with virtual coaching and clinical care is continually informed by member and market insights. This study describes how prospective user preference shaped this offering  and the real world engagement patterns of this mental health platform. Headspace’s combined offering became available through employer-sponsored access in 2023, and was designed using members’ and employers’ perspectives on the most effective and desirable ways to deliver comprehensive mental health care. Depending on needs identified during onboarding (e.g., current feelings, goals of care), members were recommended to use mindfulness content in the Headspace App or to schedule an intake coaching session for virtual care services in the Headspace Care App; all enrollees had full access to both apps. Members who enrolled in virtual care were able, but not required, to be assessed for depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms. Design research revealed that the Headspace community of members and payers preferred a dynamic offering that provided both human-delivered and self-guided care, enabling users to adapt and integrate practices according to ever-changing needs. After the rollout, 14,796 members enrolled in the connected Headspace offering. Of members who began using the platform, 54.3% used app-delivered content only, 20.1% used virtual care only, and 25.5% used both. 1,503 completed a mental health assessment; 63.5% screened positive for depression or anxiety. Positive screeners showed lower use of app-delivered content (p< .05), marginally higher engagement in therapy (p=.10), and lower engagement in coaching (p< .05). Members who used both app-delivered content and virtual care had higher overall engagement than those who only used virtual care; this was driven by greater use of coaching (p< .01). Also, engagement in content was higher for users of both offerings. Follow-up feedback indicated that while the combined offering was effective, using two different apps caused a disjointed experience; as a result, Headspace launched a single-app experience in 2024 that houses both content and care. Further adaptations based on these engagement data will be discussed.