Health insurer offers free counselling sessions
Specialist workplace health insurer UniMed is fully funding three therapy sessions for nearly 100,000 of its members.
Thursday, September 30th 2021, 7:22AM
It is partnering with Clearhead, a digital mental health and wellbeing service, which has 250 registered therapists and counsellors nationwide, with virtual consultations also available.
UniMed’s offer is open to all members from the beginning of October until the end of next March.
“We know that one in four of us will face a mental health challenge in any given year and the ongoing effects of Covid-19 have only added to the anxiety many people are feeling," UniMed chief executive Louise Zacest says.
During the first lockdown in 2020, UniMed launched a new Wellbeing benefit that Zacest says has been very popular with members.
“We’re now extending that benefit and are committed to providing practical ways of helping our members who may be struggling with anxiety, depression and stress.”
Clearhead’s real time data showed that during the lockdowns, the number of Kiwis who were severely depressed or thinking about suicide increased four times compared to pre-Covid levels and have stayed up at that level.
Dr Angela Lim, CEO and co-founder of Clearhead, says public therapy waitlists average three to six months, while the wait time for their counsellors is usually less than a week.
“We’re delighted that, through this partnership, we are able to significantly widen timely access to talk therapy for 100,000 more people. We know that counselling isn’t for everyone, so we also provide proactive digital wellbeing support and comprehensive data analytics to some of New Zealand’s most iconic businesses.”
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