Oftentimes, people who want to go to therapy talk with someone about their mental health or just don’t go for a variety of reasons. Some may be afraid that people will judge them for going to a therapist, others don’t have enough time, many think it’s too expensive, and the list of barriers goes on. Talkspace, a provider of online therapy services, addresses this issue that many people face by connecting patients with licensed therapists. Talkspace took this innovative idea a step further today when it announced that the Agora Video for Telemedicine cloud service has been selected for its Unlimited Messaging Therapy and LiveTalk Online Therapy programs.
Agora.io, now partnered with Talkspace, is a global leader in Communications as a Service (CaaS) for real-time video and voice, and will be used to provide Talkspace users with high-resolution, real-time voice and video calls during therapy sessions.
Roni Frank, co-founder and head of clinical services at Talkspace discussed the decision behind this partnership saying, “There are many barriers that prevent people from getting therapy to address mental health issues, and by augmenting our online therapy services with Agora.io's video capabilities, we see some of those barriers dissolving.”
He continued to address the question of “why Agora.io?”: “Agora.io's support for secure, high-resolution communication ensures our therapists grasp every word and point of context for a high-quality and affordable therapy experience. We are thrilled to partner with Agora.io to create this new paradigm for the modern patient experience.”
This partnership comes in an era that is turning increasingly towards mobile solutions. Now, smartphone and mobile devices are being used by patients to request and receive services all over the world. In that environment, it makes sense that Talkspace and Agora.io would join forces to provide the best online therapy session possible. By enabling a secure, HIPPA compliant, encrypted network for therapists and patients to talk in real-time, the two companies are helping to lead the mental health industry in the right direction.
To date, Talkspace’s Unlimited Messaging Therapy program has connected 300,000 people to licensed therapists in a more affordable, accessible way. In the past year, the company tripled its user base. Talkspace has also expanded its network of licensed therapists to approximately 1,000 specialists in order to accomodate the growing number of users.
If you want to hear more about Agora.io and Talkspace’s partnership, along with their innovative new ideas, you can see them at the upcoming Real Time Web Solutions event, from Aug. 1-4 in New York City.
Edited by
Stefania Viscusi
