A Dallas-based company has created a preventive care tool for brain health in the form of an app called Joyages.
ACAP HealthWorks is partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention this month to offer nine video lessons designed for people who are at risk for suicide as well as for the people who are helping them cope. The app is free during September in recognition of Suicide Prevention Month and can be downloaded on Apple and Android devices
Joyages is aimed to support mental well-being, and joins a list of apps intended to assist people who might be struggling with a mental illness. The app is “designed to meet the user where they are while focusing on building daily habits through digital life coaching and resilience training,” according to a statement.
Coping with the stresses that can lead to mental health issues
The app offers users a self-directed path through videos that teach skills for dealing with life’s challenges and is intended help people deal with the stresses that can lead to mental health issues, according to a statement. Each video is short and all nine are included when the Joyages app is downloaded.
“Almost 20 percent of Americans experience mental illness each year,” Ray White, ACAP HealthWorks’ chief innovation officer, said in a statement. “The Joyages app offers 24/7 virtual therapy options and crisis resources; however, Joyages’ primary goal is to reach the remaining 80 percent of Americans—to prevent them from ever reaching a crisis mode.”
White calls Joyages “a private, user-friendly digital life coach in every employee’s pocket.”
Joyages seeks to improve productivity and reduce healthcare costs
White says employees can see it as an enhancement to their existing benefits package, while employers can benefit from improved productivity and reduced healthcare costs.
Joyages is based on the science of neuroplasticity—the ability of the human brain to continuously change throughout a person’s life—and positive psychology, and it teaches people how to deal with being sad or stressed, rather than trying to avoid the normal challenges of life.
Millennials and members of Gen Z are reporting higher levels of extreme stress, as well as anxiety and depression, but said they are searching for support more frequently than past generations, according to a statement.
Joyages seeks to encourage positive habit formation and mindset shifting to help employees improve their stress management skills, enhance relationships, and build resilience.
The app also offers clinical assessments and a Brain Health Screening for users to self-assess their state of mind and mental health risks. It also has virtual therapy options and crisis resources available through the app.
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