AI-driven, culturally responsive mental health care could soon be coming to underserved communities, including immigrants and black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).
A partnership announced Tuesday between grass-roots nonprofit curaJOY and UserTesting, a leader in experience research, is designed to bring more inclusive and accessible health solutions.
Harnessing AI and virtual reality, curaJOY intends to address a global shortage of behavioral health providers while improving social and mental health resources’ inclusivity, efficiency and adaptability of social and mental health resources.
“Psychological safety is crucial in therapeutic relationships,” curaJOY Chief Executive CEO Caitlyn Wang said in an interview. She said a BIPOC female who has experienced abuse by a male, for example, might not feel safe with a white male counselor. [About 80% of therapists are white.]
“Behavior is often in a cultural context,” Wang said. “A kid in a classroom hitting and flipping the desk. It is very important to discover the root cause, and often it is tied to the home environment and family history.”
“Most people drop out of treatment programs; 66% believe it does not work,” Wang said. “Often they lack tools… and correlated data.”
To that end, curaJOY has developed realistic 3-D AI coaches (human) that match users’ identities and demographics, serving as a primary contact window and coach for users as well as creating a psychologically safe environment for users who might not feel comfortable with traditional providers. The company is also conducting research with underrepresented students and stay-at-home parents to gather invaluable feedback, and develop and test their family wellness app.
Additionally, the initiative includes a project led by Youth Ambassador Clarissa Shen to develop the world’s first youth-created AI coach.
“Our solutions’ ability to provide deep insights into diverse audiences that opt-in to share their perspectives and user experiences, and help build empathy and deeper understanding across teams will help curaJOY fine-tune their offerings, ensuring they meet the multifaceted needs of their users,” UserTesting Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Huff said in a statement.
“AI is helping people in an ethical way. Many who work under pressure and have face-to-face customer interaction have an option with us,” Laurent Van Tornhout, co-founder and CEO of Wellbeing.ai, said in an interview. His company uses neural science principles to assess behavior, and apply it to employees at big banks, manufacturing facilities and air traffic controllers worldwide to pick up signs of burnout, anxiety, engagement and enjoyment.
“The bigger the company, the bigger the problem” of mental health issues, he said. “Overall, only 23% of employees are really engaged, a record low, according to Gallup. Those not engaged, are really quitting or quietly quitting (doing the bare minimum). They often go on sick leave.”
Wellbeing.ai is affiliated with 87,000 psychologists through a partnership with Workplace Options so employees can speak with a human for counseling.
