Many employers are open to these new approaches, given the high amount of stress among workers and the labor shortage brought about by the Great Resignation. According to Christine Schulz, Principal in Mercer's Behavioral Health practice, employers are recognizing that to keep workers, they need to make mental health a priority among benefits.

"It's been a rough few years," Schulz says. "There's been a sea change because our lives have really changed. There's an increased awareness of things like depression and anxiety, and the burnout that has led a lot of people to leave their jobs. In order for them to come back, they're saying, 'This is what we need.'"

An end to the stigma?

Industry insiders agree that the traditional stigma around talking about mental health has been greatly reduced, though not completely eliminated.

Some of that has to do with changing demographics, according to Joe Grasso, PhD, senior director of workforce transformation at Lyra Health. "We're seeing younger people are more likely to expect mental wellbeing to be part of their employment benefits—and more likely to be open about discussing it in a professional setting," he says. "In this way, the pandemic has also prompted employers to provide comprehensive mental health care benefits for employees."

There has also been a recognition by employers that a more open, proactive approach is needed to prevent burnout and loss of workers. "Employers have learned that mental health really does need to be a primary focus," says Schulz. "Employees are looking for a workplace that offers more than just a solution to help mental health; they're looking for a culture that supports mental health."

The link between DEI and mental health

The movement toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is another hallmark of the post-pandemic workplace. And increasingly, people in the benefits industry are seeing a link between DEI policy and a culture of good mental health practices. The concept of "culturally appropriate care" is one that is being prioritized by many employers and vendors.

Kevin Dedner, founder and CEO of Hurdle, started his own mental health benefits company after a personal struggle with depression made him realize that the mental health system is not designed for everyone. "We've seen real spikes in African-American and Hispanic treatment-seeking," he says. "But 50% of ethnic minorities terminate therapy prematurely because of a lack of provider fit. If we have a system that doesn't work for half of these populations, we have a problem."

Grasso listed comprehensive care, preventive care, and culturally responsive care as three top priorities for his company. "Effective care must be culturally responsive, which is a philosophy rooted in a multicultural approach that accounts for how someone's cultural background can define and impact their experience," he says. "It's an important framework to help mental health care professionals ensure that they are providing the most effective possible treatment to a diverse range of clients."

With a shortage of providers, new approaches emerge

The pandemic led to a big surge in telehealth services for all sorts of health care services, but it seems likely no area has benefitted more than mental health treatment. And the return of in-person visits hasn't reduced the demand for mental health telehealth services to nearly the same extent as in other areas of health care.

Vendors have responded to the demand with a slew of offerings, with some estimating that there are 20,000 digital apps available that specifically focus on mental health.

Considering the fact that a shortage of providers has been a longstanding issue in the area of mental health, the explosion of apps has meant that many platforms have to balance offering licensed therapists with other approaches, such as mental wellness coaching.

Machine learning and AI have also played into the new digital apps, allowing providers to become more efficient. Jill Santercier, SHRM-CP, senior director of people experience at Headspace Health, which owns mental health platform Ginger, says the new approach combines human counseling with a high-tech array of tools. "Using data, machine learning, and augmented intelligence, we empower a highly-trained team of coaches, therapists, and psychiatrists to help those with clinical and subclinical needs," she says. Coaches are trained to recognize cues that patients might benefit from clinical care, Santercier adds. "Augmented intelligence is always running in the background to analyze each interaction and will prompt a coach if a clinical intervention is needed."

According to Grasso, Lyra Health also uses machine learning to guide mental health treatment. "Clinical insights and machine learning powers the platform, making recommendations based on patient symptoms, severity, preferences, and location, combined with data on effective treatments," he says. He added that the goal is to provide personalized care, based on input from the member.

Dedner says the shortage of providers is a challenge for everyone. "This is really a serious issue, and honestly, it's going to take us a couple of generations to fix our workforce issue," he says, adding that his company works hard to provide support for providers. "We think of the therapist as a key stakeholder. Simplifying their lives and making things easy for them is very important."

A modern mental health benefit comes into focus

So, what does a modern mental health benefit look like? According to Santercier, such a package should be "human-centered, inclusive, flexible and focused on supporting people at every stage across the mental health spectrum, with a particular emphasis on offering preventative and early intervention support."

Santercier says it also ties into other parts of HR policy, such as medical leave. "We realize each person is on their own mental health journey and may need additional support," she says, adding that such support could be in the form of "company-wide policies like a comprehensive leave of absence policy, which allows those who need it to hit pause and take a step back in order to prioritize their mental health without fear of losing their job."

Shulz says she views mental health support as a continuum of services. "On the one end of that continuum, there are more preventative things such as building mindfulness and resiliency skills. As you move on that continuum, you start to see things like employee assistance programs for short-term counseling and coaching; we also see point solutions that address specific concerns, such as caregiving or sleep. And then we see those solutions to address more acute needs, such as substance abuse treatment or hospitalization."

She adds that the modern mental health benefit is still evolving. "In many ways, we're building the airplane while we're flying it," she says. "We've got this constant influx of new solutions, The carriers are working quickly to enhance their services. On the one hand, it's good to have a lot of solutions, but on the other hand, it adds to the complexity. Our job is really to stay current on those new solutions."

Read more: 

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• 2022 Employee benefits & workplace predictions: A mental health revolution