A New Messaging Based Therapy App With Dr. Bill Hudenko

Before I tell you about what's to come in this episode, I want to give Sindee Gozansky a huge thank you for connecting me with today's guest. If you don't know Sindee, she is a therapist in Portland Maine and she's also the founder of The Whole Therapist which is an online community to help therapists deal with the unique issues we face in work and life. When you join The Whole Therapist Community, you connect with other therapists to support your practice and your lifestyle through lessons, resources, coaching, Q&A and discussions. It's an amazing group and I hope you check it out! So Sindee connected me with today's guest, Dr. Bill Hudenko who is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College, an Adjunct Assistant Professor of clinical psychology at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, the Chief Executive Officer of Voi, Inc., and the President of Trusst Health Inc.   A few years ago Dr. Hudenko noticed a proliferation of telehealth platforms that were beginning to use messaging-based intervention to help people with mental illness. After reviewing the literature, he realized that there was almost no information about the efficacy of this method of intervention. Subsequently, along with his colleagues at the University of Washington and the University of Pennsylvania, they received funding from NiMH to conduct a randomized controlled trial of messaging-based psychotherapy for those with serious mental illness.  They trained about 8 clinicians, worked with around 40 patients in the treatment arm of the intervention, and monitored over 12,000 messages in the study. Last year they completed the study and revealed improvement across almost every metric including a reduction in depression, anxiety, and even psychosis. Following this study, he decided that the timing was right to commercialize a messaging-based intervention that could dramatically improve affordability and accessibility of mental healthcare while increasing therapist revenue. They launched Trusst just last year and in the first 6 months they expanded to over 23 states!  They train all of their clinicians with their NiMH-backed approach, but they also allow an incredible amount of flexibility for clinicians to conduct treatment in the way they think is best.  Also, unlike their competitors, they allow clinicians to onboard their own existing patients or to shift back and forth between in-person and remote care. And with so many of our peers looking for ways to continue providing therapy and counseling services in this new normal, Bill's company, Trusst, is one more tool we can utilize to help our patients and clients continue to receive care while at a physical distance.  Listen in to hear all about his messaging therapy research findings, how therapists are using the platform, and how to become a provider.  Trusst is on a mission to transform the delivery of mental healthcare. We hope you'll join us in making care more accessible, affordable and practical for everyone involved. They are currently looking to bring on more providers. And they are giving you one week FREE, sign up for 1 free week of message therapy with the code FREE1W. This episode is brought to you by my favorite activewear line, Zyia Active.  Want to be more comfortable while sitting on the couch? I sure did and I went looking for pants and tops that were soft, wrinkle resistant and would match just about anything I already had in my closet. And now Zyia Active makes up about 80% of my wardrobe...want to learn more? Head to lisamustard.com and click on the activewear tab. Don't think this is just for women..they have mens' and kids' clothes too..our family is loving the quality and I love the price tags! So head over to my site to check it all out. I want to tell you about a group I created on Facebook, it's called the talk therapist lounge and it's a place where talk therapists can find podcast guest opportunities! That's right! If you are a licensed talk therapist and you are looking to grow your reach and visibility, this group may be a place for you to start. I'm working to bring in podcast hosts who are looking to interview licensed clinicians that can share their expertise and knowledge with their audiences.  Why should you be a podcast guest? Well people are crawling all over the internet, listening to podcasts and watching videos on mental health issues. My mission is to help spread the word about mental health treatment and help lower the stigma around mental health..and to do that we need to get you guys out there sharing your knowledge and wisdom and how you help people live their best lives. And it will help you grow your brand and visibility and possibly help you gain new clients! I also share how to create a podcast guest one sheet and tips and ideas for getting yourself booked on shows. So will you come join us? Look for the talk therapist lounge on facebook! Hope to see you there!