Imagine being able to get help for anxiety, depression, ADHD, insomnia, and other mental health conditions all in one place — online. That solution to help you manage your mental health without leaving your home exists. It’s called Cerebral.
The 100 percent online mental health service is carving its own path and helping people overcome access to mental health challenges, such as convenience, stigma, high costs, and long wait times. Traditional mental health care services can be inconvenient since patients typically have to schedule a time and drive to a brick and mortar location; costs can be high too especially without insurance because psychiatrists and therapists charge hundreds of dollars an hour. Wait times to get an appointment in traditional mental health care services are three to four months.
Cerebral quickly and efficiently connects patients to licensed providers, so they can receive treatment, including therapy, counseling and medication (if prescribed).
“Everything we do at Cerebral is to help us on our mission to improve access to high-quality, long-term mental health care,” says Dr. David Mou, the company’s chief medical officer. “We’ve reduced wait times from months to days and have seen incredible outcomes for our patients. The traditional mental health care landscape has long remained stagnant and it’s time for us to make our care completely patient-centric.”
Cerebral’s subscription plans have flat monthly rates and can include a variety of services, such as ongoing assessments, video/phone appointments with a prescriber and/or therapist, and medication management.
Here’s how it works: the person completes an initial online screening, which identifies how Cerebral can best help them; next, they select a plan that best fits their needs whether it’s medication management and counseling, medication management and therapy or just therapy. Based on their plan, they will speak with a provider over video/phone to develop a personalized treatment plan. Through Cerebral’s app, members can manage appointments, chat with their care team, and access CBT exercises.
Cutting down barriers
The company’s founder and CEO Kyle Robertson started the company after finding it difficult to get care for his depression and anxiety. He was surprised it was so challenging since both his parents are mental health professionals.
“For me, internalized stigma was the hardest: just admitting to myself that I was depressed, coupled with having a hard time coming to terms with my sexuality as a gay person,” he says, noting he experienced other barriers to care, including “the exhausting process of finding the right provider,” long wait times and high costs.
“When I finally got the care I needed, I knew I wanted to cut down those barriers. That’s why I started Cerebral: to transform access to high-quality mental health care.”
Comprehensive care
Cerebral’s comprehensive care model uniquely provides both therapy and medication management on one platform. That means the clinicians, counselors and therapists are all communicating with each other to provide the best care for their patients. Additionally, unlike many other online mental health services, Cerebral’s clinical team have experience helping those who suffer from more serious conditions, such as bipolar disorder and PTSD, in addition to treating conditions such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
For patients seeking therapy, Cerebral matches them with licensed therapists who specialize inthe areas of clinical social work, mental health counseling, marriage and family, and more. The therapists are trained in evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).
There are three membership plans: medication + care counseling is $85 a month and features care counselors who can guide clients through behavioral health techniques and coping mechanisms, appointments with a prescriber, and medication management, if prescribed; medication + therapy is $325 a month and includes appointments with a prescriber, weekly therapy appointments, and medication management; or therapy which is $259 a month and includes weekly therapy appointments. The plans are billed monthly, FSA and HSA eligible and can be covered under certain insurance plans.
Most importantly, Cerebral members have reported incredible outcomes: a 27 percent decrease in depression symptoms within two months and a 26 percent decrease in anxiety within three months. It’s time that the mental healthcare landscape sees a change.
New patients can save up to 65 percent off their first month of medication management and care counseling by using the promo code USATODAY65 when they sign up.
Learn more about how Cerebral can help you manage your mental health at cerebral.com.
