What employee experiences reveal about mental health care is more nuanced than utilization data alone can show.
Modern Health surveyed 2,000 full-time employees across the U.S., UK, Mexico, and Singapore, all of whom have used therapy. Most valued the experience: 88% said therapy met their needs. Their responses also offer a closer look at why employees seek care and how that care evolves.
Workplace stress is one driver. Fifty-one percent sought therapy or coaching in connection with workplace stress. Employees are also using professional care for everyday challenges. Sixty percent said they had experienced therapy that felt more intensive than they needed when they simply wanted someone to talk to about stress. And 65% said they had continued weekly therapy after they already felt improved.
Those experiences take on added significance as employers face continued health care cost pressure. They raise questions that claims and utilization figures alone can’t answer: What brings employees into care? Does the type and intensity of support fit their needs? What happens when those needs change?
The research also points to demand for more options. Eighty-three percent said at least some of what they had brought to therapy could have been effectively addressed through coaching.
For benefits leaders, understanding how employees use mental health care can provide important context for evaluating access, outcomes, employee experience, and the value of their investment.