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Cerebral Launches Virtual Therapy Service Amid COVID Stress

Cerebral Launches Virtual Therapy Service Amid COVID Stress

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With COVID-19, many people have been staying indoors and have adjusted to a new “normal” living through their laptops, phones, and computers. For those struggling with their mental health, this routine might now include virtual therapy with telehealth startup Cerebral.

The San Francisco startup Cerebral just launched a virtual therapy service starting in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and California and is expanding soon to other states. With the therapy launch to meet demand, people will have the choice of weekly therapy, mental health medication services, or both together. According to Cerebral’s research, this will be the first telemedicine service where the patient’s prescribing provider and the patient’s therapist work together directly to deliver comprehensive mental healthcare.

Cerebral Psychiatrist Dr. Aneel Ursani states, "At Cerebral, we provide high quality care by providing both medication and therapy services which are proven to be more effective together compared to them alone.”

And the science agrees with Dr. Ursani. Studies have shown that receiving medication and psychosocial treatment together sees better results, better patient satisfaction, and lower costs than any other option for mental health treatment.

Mental healthcare has also been difficult to access for most Americans, with more than 25% of workers unsure how to get access and 27% reporting their coverage is insufficient. Wait times for therapy averaged nearly a month in 2017. Cerebral recognizes the need for more straightforward, convenient, and immediate support, and was created to improve access to mental healthcare.

Most Cerebral therapy clients will be able to see a therapist within a week after signing up, and often there is availability to see a therapist the next day. Cerebral also provides discretion and an easier way to access therapy. It’s service allows individuals to receive treatment in the privacy and convenience of their own home without trouble of having to take an extra trip every week to their therapist’s office.

“As a mom to three little girls, I can’t exactly take all my kids to an office, but with Cerebral, I can be both a mom and get the care I need in my own home. My team worked quickly to let me get back to my girls,” said one Cerebral client.

Prior to launching therapy, Cerebral had already been providing diagnostic and medication services for mental health conditions since January of this year. Clients complete an online clinical assessment and then meet with one of Cerebral’s providers. If medication is deemed necessary as part of the client’s treatment plan they have the option to receive their medication in the mail. They then check in either monthly or weekly with their care team, depending on their subscription, to track their progress and make any necessary updates to their treatment.

Patients currently working with Cerebral have referred friends, loved ones, and even bosses to the service, finding comfort and support in addressing their symptoms at their own pace, in their own homes. Review sites like Fin vs Fin celebrate Cerebral too, saying, "We love Cerebral’s mission of making mental health help easier to access." While Cerebral’s therapy service has launched in Texas, California, Georgia, and Florida, its diagnosis and medication service continues to be offered in many more states. It currently offers diagnosis and medication services in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington and plans to expand all of it’s services to all 50 states.

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Dec 15, 2023
In the News
Therapy
Introducing Cerebral Way: Your Personalized Path to Feeling Better
Navigating mental health can be difficult, and understanding the benefits and differences between online mental health providers can add an additional layer of confusion to the process.  So we’ve introduced Cerebral Way: results-oriented care that puts you first with personalized plans and clear goals for your mental health.  How is Cerebral Way different? Most online mental health services simply match you with a clinician and hope you’ll stay on their plans without any goals or end-points in sight. Cerebral Way recognizes you as an active participant in your mental health care. We’ve developed a program with your goals and milestones at the center, so you can track your progress and know what to expect along the way.  A collaborative approach Cerebral Way has struck an important balance between consistent care with high standards for all of our clients. Our clinicians take your goals, needs, and life experiences into account so you get a personalized plan for treatment. This collaborative approach means you’ll always know what to expect along your way to mental wellness.  When you work with any of our high-quality clinicians, you’ll know they’re upholding Cerebral standards to shape your path forward. How it works  1. We'll get to know each other Your journey with Cerebral begins with a personalized intake session. During this session, you'll share your story (as much as you're comfortable sharing) with a Cerebral clinician who specializes in your specific needs. The focus is on understanding you: your experiences, goals, and challenges. If you opt for a medication plan, your clinician may arrive at a diagnosis and prescribe medication if it’s appropriate.  There are a few administrative points in this session as well: confirming your identity and making sure you have the app are two examples. This only happens in the first session.  After this session you can decide whether you’d like to continue with your clinician or start with a new one. Cerebral makes it easy for you to switch any time.  2. You'll get a personalized plan Now that they’ve gotten to know you, your clinician will craft a personalized treatment plan tailored to your unique needs, and you’ll set goals together. This is a roadmap for your mental health journey, complete with milestones and check-ins with your therapist and/or prescriber. If you were prescribed medication at your intake session, this second session is when you’ll discuss how you’re doing with the medication and its dosage, if you’re experiencing any side effects, and any other general questions you might have.   3. Keep track of your progress  At this point in therapy, you’ll begin regular check-ins to see how you’re feeling about your progress. After 90 days of weekly appointments, you can reevaluate your level of support, and decide whether to continue with therapy, discontinue, or move to less frequent sessions. If you’re on a medication plan, you’ll have access to on-call clinicians who can help with dosage and refills between less frequent prescriber check-ins. You can also get your medication shipped directly to your door with CerebralRx. If you’re on a Therapy + Medication plan, your clinicians will coordinate with each other so your care will feel streamlined — you won’t have to repeat yourself in separate sessions.  How Cerebral Way helps Cerebral Way helps with virtually anything you’re struggling with, from general life stress to pre-diagnosed conditions.  In addition to specialized care, other benefits of Cerebral Way include: Completely personalized care With Cerebral Way, you're not just a name or diagnosis. Your clinician understands your specific needs, goals, and experiences, shaping a path forward that is unique to you. You're always in control If you find that you're not making the progress you’d like to see with your therapist or prescriber, you have the flexibility to switch to a new one at any time. Consistent, quality care All Cerebral clinicians are thoroughly vetted, credentialed, and trained to provide the highest level of care. Licensed professionals are available to address any questions or concerns between your regular appointments. Clear destinations Your clinician will review your goals and milestones with you, ensuring that you always know what to expect during the course of your treatment. An evidence-based approach Cerebral clinicians stay up to date on the latest studies and breakthroughs, ensuring that the care you receive is based on rigorous research. Clinically proven results Cerebral clients are three times more likely to report feeling better after two months of following their therapy or medication plans. The service has consistently demonstrated meaningful improvements in clients' mental well-being. Cerebral Way is not just a mental health service – we’re invested in your progress and your partner toward a healthier and happier life.
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Oct 10, 2022
In the News
Cerebral Now Offers Therapy in All 50 States
Today, we’re proud to announce we have achieved an important milestone in the progression of our mission to democratize access to high quality mental health care for all. Cerebral, launched in 2020, has expanded its therapy services to all 50 states and the District of Columbia in less than two years.  “The speed at which we have accomplished having clinicians available to provide therapy services to patients in every state is a testament to the quality of care we offer,” said Christine Cauwels, Cerebral’s Associate Director of Therapy. “What’s even more exciting is what this means for increasing access to effective mental health care for more people. We are able to meet the high demand for care, and are able to provide access to care quickly, averaging three days from signup to the first appointment for our patients.”  This exciting news comes in October, which is an important month for mental health as we recognize Mental Illness Awareness Week and today, World Mental Health Day. In fact, the theme for World Mental Health Day this year is “Make mental health & well-being for all a global priority.” Having the ability to provide therapy services to patients in every state is just one of the ways Cerebral is meeting the theme of World Mental Day, created by the World Health Organization.  As we recognize that Cerebral now has licensed therapists in all 50 states, we look forward to helping more people on their mental health journeys. Data has shown that the most effective treatments can be a combination of psychiatric and behavioral therapy services. In fact, between 70 and 90 percent of individuals have a significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life through a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments.  We are thrilled to be able to now offer this effective combination of treatment services to all of our patients across all 50 states, as we know this gets us one step closer to our mission of democratizing access to high quality mental health care for all..
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Sep 29, 2022
In the News
The Way Forward for Mental Healthcare: A Message from Dr. David Mou, CEO, Cerebral
When I was training as a psychiatrist, my primary job was to listen. Since taking over as CEO of Cerebral in May, I’ve listened to many stakeholders – patients, employees, health insurance companies, regulators, the media and others. And I wanted to share some of the key learnings I have absorbed during this period. It is clear that the mental health care system as we know it is broken – beset by a lack of access, a shortage of psychiatrists and other caregivers in broad swaths of the country, and widespread stigma attached to treatment that prevents people with mental illnesses from getting the care they so desperately need. Right now, too many Americans who need help are instead shuffled through the penal system, end up in homeless shelters or out on the street. It will take a broad alignment among many to fix these problems. But the journey begins with humility, openness to continuous improvement, and a commitment to using data and measurement to gauge clinical quality and deliver the best possible care. This sacred commitment is one that every team member Cerebral has made. That said, we must and will do better. This is a new era at Cerebral, and we are committed to a better future. Putting patients at the core of what we do The well-being of our patients comes first, bar none. Many of our patients suffer from serious mental illnesses, and many come to us with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and they have nowhere else to turn. Many clinics actively avoid patients with history of suicidal thinking, and stop providing care once patients reveal their past struggles. We take pride in supporting these vulnerable patients.  To meet the growing demand for care, we must grow sustainably, market responsibly, and double down on our focus of delivering high-quality care. Clinicians must be in leadership roles for healthcare startups, as they are at Cerebral, so that the clinical perspective is taken into account for major decisions in every corner of the company.  As we move forward, here are some of the things I am committed to changing to not only better Cerebral but mental health care overall. We are expanding our internal infrastructure and internal safeguards to prioritize our most vulnerable patients, especially where suicide is a risk. This includes close oversight by clinical staff who have been specially trained to recognize signs of suicidality. We have also used machine learning to better screen patients who are at risk, and connect them to crisis response specialists within minutes.  At the same time, we are improving our ID verification system, ensuring all patients' identities and addresses are correct and valid, and that no one under the age of 18 is treated by Cerebral. 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Additionally, as we announced in May, in preparation for regulatory changes, we will no longer be prescribing controlled substances to new patients, and are actively working to taper existing patients off these medications and provide alternative treatment options.  As I noted earlier, there is a crisis of mental health care access in this country. Telehealth has a vital role to play in addressing this need, especially by utilizing data and new technology in a profession that lacks much-needed measurement and a sufficient number of providers.  The answer is telehealth and traditional care, not one or the other Although telehealth improves access, there is not a binary choice between our field and traditional mental health care providers. We work closely with psychiatrists and others in brick-and-mortar facilities and will keep doing so in the future. The goal here is to meet patients where they are, relieving them of one less burden in their hour of need.  As a matter of fact, nearly one-third of Americans live in an area that has a shortage of mental health care professionals and 60 percent of all U.S. counties – including 80 percent of all rural counties – do not have a single psychiatrist. The deficiencies of our health care system heighten the risk of suicide, which is the second leading cause of death among Americans aged 10 to 14, and 25 to 34, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. We are not perfect in every case, but we are trying to address this national tragedy by increasing access for those who have historically been disenfranchised in terms of care.  Measuring outcomes and moving forward The data gathered by Cerebral underscores how isolated  patients felt  before the advent of telehealth. Since our inception, we have treated over half a million patients, and two-thirds of these patients have never had the privilege of seeking mental health care before, despite struggling with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD.  Telehealth is also helping patients who historically have been disenfranchised or lack the resources for traditional treatment; the majority of our patients have salaries below the national average. What’s more, we have a diversity of clinicians, nearly half of whom identify as non-white, further helping patients find someone with whom they feel most comfortable.  Finally, Cerebral is changing the landscape with measurement and data, not just improving our own performance, but helping the entire mental health care field establish benchmarks that can improve clinical quality while reducing costs. Machine learning at Cerebral can help quickly identify messages from suicidal patients requiring escalation, providing clinicians with an additional opportunity to intervene.  We work closely with payers to identify at-risk patients and provide them with extra care in order to prevent unnecessary emergency room visits. Collectively, we are setting the stage for value-based care in behavioral health. Other fields, like cancer treatment, have employed precision medicine approaches to improve quality of care, and there is no reason mental health care can’t do the same. As we move forward and work toward these goals, I want to reiterate that we can and will do better. The well-being of our patients depends on it. As a psychiatrist, entrepreneur, and Cerebral’s CEO, I have a moral responsibility to ensure that  telehealth plays a critical role in helping millions of Americans get the care they so desperately need. 
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