As you navigate career goals and face personal challenges, your mental health well-being significantly impacts your overall quality of your life. A study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimated that over one in five U.S. adults live in moderate to severe mental health conditions (57.8 million in 2021). While treatment approaches differ based on specific conditions, the recommendation  to ‘talk with people’ remains a crucial piece of advice for individuals coping with stress or managing mental health concerns. Consequently, we now witness a range of services providing support and guided meditations to address this need. 

One such service is Mind-Easy. 

Emerging as a response to the cultural shock faced by its three co-founders (pictured below), Alexandra Assouad (Lebanon), Dalia Ahmed (Yemen), and Akanksha Shelat (India) - Mind-Easy is a mental health resource designed to aid clients while they wait for therapy services. By seamlessly integrating this resource into teletherapy services, Mind-Easy assists clients in preparing for their upcoming therapy sessions, leading to a reduction in drop-out rates, fostering an enhanced therapeutic alliance between clients and therapists, and ultimately improving the treatment outcomes.

(The three co-founders Akanksha Shelat to the left, Alexandra Assouad in the middle and Dalia Ahmed)

“I experienced a lot of external upheaval in my upbringing, and while I was fortunate enough to move to Toronto for education, I encountered a different form of turmoil, and this time it was internal,” shared Alexandra Assouad during an interview with LebNet. “Being far from my family in Lebanon, I had to adapt to a new culture and a new language.” 

Assouad further explained that she and her co-founders struggled to find the support they needed. “It was particularly challenging to locate mental health solutions that truly understood our unique identities, or were available in our native dialects and languages. This is when we decided to pool our distinct but very complementary skill sets to create Mind-Easy.”

The founding team is an embodiment of diversity. Beyond their cultural backgrounds, each member brought something new to the endeavor: Assouad’s background encompassed venture capital funding within the healthcare industry, Dalia Ahmed is pursuing a PhD in education with a specialization in Counseling and Psychotherapy, and Akanksha Shelat holds a BSc. in Computer Science and Cognitive Science. 

The Next Frontier: Technology in Mental Health

Launched in March of 2021, Mind-Easy offers virtual therapists proficient in several dialects and over 120 languages. These therapists take the form of AI-based avatars designed to represent diverse cultures and ethnicities. These avatars serve as helpful guides in areas such assertive communication, managing email-related stress, and handling challenging situations with a superior, among other relevant topics.  

“We've established a premier network of more than 70 mental health specialists, representing diverse ethnicities, cultural and religious backgrounds.  Their invaluable clinical expertise ensures the rigorous assessment and validation of the modifications we make to our resources,” remarked  Assouad. “These dedicated experts have devoted their lifetimes to researching effective strategies, identifying suitable terminology and careful approaches for distinct identities. Our rigorous clinical validation process is applied to everything before it’s made public.  Our entire approach is self contained and devoid of reliance on any open-source data.” 

At present, the founders focus on engaging companies that enroll their employees on the platform as a vital aspect of the company’s mission to deliver wellness services to its workforce. The team has more than a dozen corporate partners, primarily concentrating on large enterprises boasting a staff of 25,000 or more. Although they piloted a mental health clinic in the Metaverse, the team have been more focused on their online platform and B2B contracts. 

“Our on-boarding process is straightforward, involving a brief set of questions to gauge each employee's current well-being, enabling us to tailor a personalized program. The interaction isn't a real-time conversation; it’s based on stored information. Whenever I, as a customer, pose a question to the chatbot, it responds with the knowledge it possesses,” explained Assouad. 

Presently, the co-founders are actively seeking funding for their seed round, aiming to grow their team and acquire the talent to elevate their mission. Their ultimate goal is to establish themselves as frontrunners in the realm of mental well-being.  They plan to diversify their reach by venturing into additional sectors, with a strategic focus on partnering with hospitals and healthcare systems, as well as engaging the younger demographic through education institutions such as schools and colleges. 

Each day presents an opportunity to promote awareness of individuals facing mental health challenges. A meaningful conversation, a thoughtful gesture, or a supportive action can have a profound impact. Thanks to technology, the world has the potential to improve significantly, with the assurance that there’s always someone to engage with even during the times when it seems otherwise.