New Talkspace study reveals effectiveness of delivering therapy via text messaging

NEW YORK, June 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Talkspace (http://www.talkspace.com), the global web and mobile platform connecting people with licensed therapists, reveals today the results from the first study of its kind, A Preliminary Study of Talkspace's Text-based Psychotherapy, in assessing the effectiveness of delivering therapy via text messaging. The study, which investigated the outcome measures of both improvement in psychological well-being and the strength of the client-therapist working alliance, found preliminary evidence supporting the effectiveness of using Talkspace's method of text-based therapy.

Talkspace's study, which assessed the impact of texting as a medium for delivering therapy, adds to the growing body of research around the efficacy and efficiency of online therapy. In 2013, clinical researchers from the University of Zurich used text-based therapy to determine whether or not psychotherapy via internet was as good as face-to-face consultations. The results of the groundbreaking study actually demonstrated that online therapy can be better than face-to- face, and provided further scientific evidence of the equal value of Internet-based psychotherapy, affirming other results, including a study revealing that CBT seems to be effective when delivered online in real time by a therapist, with benefits if maintained over 8 months.

Talkspace's study concerned a sample size of 58 participants who assessed services during the range of 12-16 weeks into therapy. The study measured the impact that texting therapy had on symptom reduction, the quality of the relationship that individuals built with their therapists, the cost-effectiveness of Talkspace services in comparison to traditional therapy, the ease of accessibility to get therapy, and the satisfaction with Talkspace's services as a whole.

Results from this study include findings such as:

• Participants reported experiencing significantly greater well-being after 3.86 months of text therapy, than before they started.
• Talkspace text therapy was estimated to be ⅓ the cost of traditional therapy to achieve effective treatment results
• Scores measuring the therapeutic alliance (patient-provider relationship) were comparable to those found in traditional treatment settings.
• Users reported higher satisfaction with Talkspace compared to traditional therapy in areas concerning convenience, affordability, and getting help when needed.

"Talkspace is democratizing mental health care and offers the opportunity to deliver treatment directly to millions of people," said Oren Frank, CEO of Talkspace. "There have been significant barriers to getting access to therapy and that's resulted in the global mental health crisis we're aiming to address. The results from our first study reaffirms our method of delivering therapy, and we are committed to working alongside world-renowned universities and partners to develop further research around this model."

To view a summary of A Preliminary Study of Talkspace's Text-based Psychotherapy, please visit: http://talkspace.com/online-therapy/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Research-Summary.pdf

To view the full report on A Preliminary Study of Talkspace's Text-based Psychotherapy, please visit: http://talkspace.com/online-therapy/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Talkspace-Preliminary-Research-Study.pdf

About Talkspace
Talkspace is a global online therapy platform that connects people with licensed therapists anytime, anywhere. Founded in 2012 with a mission to make therapy affordable and accessible for all, Talkspace introduced Unlimited Messaging Therapy™ to provide unprecedented on-demand access to a therapist for only $25 per week. By eliminating the stigma, fear, anxiety and cost associated with traditional therapy, Talkspace is making it easy for millions of people to finally be proactive about their mental health. In the United States alone, Talkspace has amassed over 100,000 members with hundreds of licensed therapists in its network. For more information, please visit http://www.talkspace.com.

SOURCE Talkspace