Meru Health Launches Coaching Program for Preventive Mental Health

SAN MATEO, Calif., April 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meru Health, which provides the most comprehensive online mental health solution, announced today the official launch of its Meru Health Coaching program to offer evidence-based digital content and video coaching sessions for employees suffering from stress and mild depression or anxiety symptoms.

While the pandemic has caused a dramatic spike in clinical-level mental health problems, many employees are struggling with unforeseen levels of stress, trying to cope with the new normal. The past year has underscored the need to offer support to this sub-clinical population, to help them build resilience and help prevent the likelihood of developing more serious mental illness, such as depression or anxiety disorder.

Now, in addition to the 12-week comprehensive app-based treatment for clinical-level anxiety and depression, Meru Health has launched Meru Health Coaching for stress and mild depression and anxiety symptoms. Based on the Emotional Intelligence model, the Coaching program combines video coaching sessions with evidence-based digital content to reduce stress, increase resilience and promote emotional intelligence.

How Meru Health Coaching Works

Meru Health Coaching is developed based on Dr. Goleman's Emotional Intelligence model, combining Behavioral Change Theory, Positive Psychology, Compassion Training, Neuroscience, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) techniques. Delivered by certified coaches and digital content, the coaching program provides enhanced emotional intelligence that will help people be more resilient to handle stressors and avoid developing more serious (and costly) mental illnesses. Meru Health Coaching uses reliable measures to show the outcomes on improved stress management, resilience and wellbeing. This enables both individual and organizational effectiveness.

"Our mission at Meru Health is to make mental healthcare more accessible and with longer lasting results delivered through an approach driven by science," said Kristian Ranta, CEO and Founder of Meru Health. "In addition to providing best-in-class treatment for those suffering with clinical-level mental illness, we see that it is increasingly important to provide resources and coaching for those experiencing stress and mild depression or anxiety symptoms. It's for the benefit of the individual, employer and society as a whole that we intervene early on, empower and build the resilience in people to handle the stressors that life is going to throw at us. Our new Meru Health Coaching program was created with this in mind. We are thrilled to partner with Unum, and to officially launch this to businesses around the world as a very timely, important benefit to their employees."

Unum, a leading Fortune 500 insurance and employee benefits provider, is the first employer to go live with Meru Health's new offering. The company will utilize the Coaching program to support employees struggling with anxiety and high levels of stress. Unum will also incorporate the Coaching solution, along with Meru Health's 12-week app-based therapy program, into its new offering, Unum Behavioral Health, available in May 2021. The digital solution will include a web portal to help workers navigate to the right preventative and early intervention support. It also features a robust library of mental health resources tailored to the unique needs of employees based on an assessment of their behavioral health and wellness needs.

"Unum has a long history helping people with behavioral health challenges, and we've seen the increasing need for more comprehensive support that focuses on the whole lifecycle of employee mental wellbeing," said Swapnil Prabha, VP of Digital Offerings at Unum. "With Meru Health's Coaching solution integrated with Unum Behavioral Health we can stop or even prevent the downward spiral and empower employees to become more resilient and manage their stress better."

About Meru Health 
Meru Health is setting a new standard in mental healthcare with the most comprehensive online solution that combines licensed therapists and psychiatrists, a smartphone-based treatment program, a biofeedback wearable, and anonymous peer-support groups. The company is committed to evidence-based care and has published groundbreaking clinical outcomes with Stanford, Harvard, and UC Davis that demonstrate 2-3X better clinical effectiveness and longer lasting results versus the standard of care in the U.S. today. Meru partners with major health insurance providers like Cigna, Humana and Moda Health, as well as leading businesses who want to provide best-in-class mental health care for their employees or members. For more information, visit www.meruhealth.com.

About Unum Group
Unum Group (www.unum.com) provides a broad portfolio of financial protection benefits and services through the workplace and is a leading provider of disability income protection worldwide. Through its Unum US, Unum UK, Unum Poland, and Colonial Life businesses, the company provides disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental and vision benefits that protect millions of working people and their families. Unum also provides leave and absence management services that streamline the leave experience for employers and employees and stop-loss coverage to help self-insured employers protect against medical costs. Unum reported revenues of $13.2 billion in 2020 and provided $7.6 billion in benefits.

For more information, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Kerry Metzdorf
Big Swing Communications
978-463-2575
kerry@big-swing.com