Two Chairs Launches Group Therapy to Increase Mental Health Care Access
- As demand for mental health services continues to soar, high-quality therapy visionary expands mental health care to group format, extending the value of the therapist hour
- New group therapy offering is rooted in rigorous therapist-patient matching principles, with patient and therapist collaborating on care modality and group selection
- Therapy groups embrace same bi-directional measurement processes as Two Chairs' individual therapy, driving higher treatment response rates, higher patient retention and helping patients reach remission faster
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Chairs, a modern behavioral health company, today announced the launch of its group therapy offering, which increases access to mental health care services to more people and maximizes the value of the therapist hour. Designed based on the same outcomes- and measurement-based principles of its individual therapy services, Two Chairs virtual group therapy is now available for Washington state patients. Early metrics show 89% customer satisfaction (8.9 stars out of 10) and an average group attendance rate of 89%.
Although not as prevalent as individual therapy, group therapy has long been shown to be as effective as individual therapy for a wide range of symptoms and conditions. With the U.S. in a prolonged shortage of mental health care professionals, group therapy can also be more efficient. In one session, a therapist can work with several patients simultaneously. Patients also benefit from the sense of community and interactive nature of group therapy, as it exposes them to different perspectives, family system dynamics, mirroring, and other therapeutic elements that may be less apparent in individual therapy sessions.
Group therapy is also a major care access lever as the U.S. grapples with a mental health care provider shortage. Within the group therapy format, Two Chairs' existing therapist workforce is able to see more patients over time. Two Chairs' patients who opt-in to group therapy move through the same rigorous matching process as those in individual therapy:
- 45 minute matching consult + data collection
- an algorithm that considers and weights 300+ variables
- clinical judgment and expertise
- prior success data
- clinician + patient discussion on preferences
All Two Chairs therapy groups are supported by transdiagnostic principles and evidence-based practices, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness and Positive Psychology. Measurement-based care (MBC), which is proven to drive higher treatment response rates and move more patients into remission in fewer sessions, is practiced in all Two Chairs therapy groups.
"Lack of access to quality care is the root cause of the mental health crisis in America today. Group therapy is an effective and efficient way to open up access to more people, but it is just one of the ways Two Chairs is addressing the issue," said Colleen Marshall, Vice President of Clinical Care, Two Chairs. "Through our proven matching process, Two Chairs clients don't need to therapist 'hop and shop,' which means our clients are staying in therapy longer and improving. They're not wasting cycles on finding the right fit and dropping out of therapy to only get worse and start the process over again."
Two Chairs' group therapy offering is currently available for Washington state patients who are in-network with Kaiser Permanente or Aetna, or for those who self-pay. The multi-state behavioral care practice is well-known for offering high-quality, outcomes-based therapy rooted in an exceptional therapeutic alliance, a powerful predictor of whether a patient will stay in therapy and improve. Two Chairs utilizes a therapist-patient matching approach that is informed by comprehensive client and clinical data. This therapist-patient alliance has a powerful impact on treatment retention and outcomes, with 98% of Two Chairs clients reporting theirs to be strong. Within 12 sessions, 85% of Two Chairs clients experience reduced symptoms, with 67% seeing meaningful improvement in an individual setting.
"Since inception, we've been focused on building the highest quality outpatient mental health system in the United States. Our outcomes data proves our commitment to quality of care," said Alex Katz, CEO and Founder at Two Chairs. "We hold our group therapy services to the same standard. Launching with our Washington patients gives us another tool for our clinical team to deliver the right care, tailored to each of our clients, while expanding access and availability in a time of overwhelming need. We look forward to extending group therapy to more patients and regions over time."
About Two Chairs
Two Chairs was founded in 2017 with a mission to build a world where everyone has access to exceptional mental healthcare. We're creating a better experience for both patients and clinicians by starting with an in-depth, research-backed matching process to ensure the ideal patient-therapist fit, offering hybrid care that gives patients and clinicians flexibility between in-person and virtual sessions, and measuring outcomes to ensure patients get better faster. With a growing team of 450 licensed clinicians across 90 areas of expertise, Two Chairs has more than 20 million covered lives.
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