The first digital mental health program that integrates with universities like never before.

Reimagining mental health care for students.

Your school is unique, and so are your students. Mantra is the fastest growing digital mental health provider that focuses exclusively on Higher Education. Our program is built to adapt to your school’s specific needs, and our care model and integrated software are designed by leading minds in university mental health.

Don’t just increase access, focus on outcomes.

High quality providers, dedicated to your school

Collaboration Portal access for on-campus care teams

We work as an extension of your team. A dedicated psychiatry or therapy provider who works exclusively for your school, guaranteeing a deep level of collaboration throughout the course of care.

Integrated telemental health, personalized to your university.

An experience tailored to university students.

It’s just so awesome for someone to genuinely care. My therapist really understands my situation and is deeply concerned about me doing things that are in my best interest.

My provider always checked in to make sure I was keeping up with exercising and other healthy habits that we both knew helped me feel better overall.

I liked being able to message my provider when I was anxious. Even if she didn’t respond right away, it still gave me the space to update her on how I was feeling.

NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mantra Health, a digital mental health clinic that partners with higher education institutions, today announced an extension of $2 million bringing its total funding to $5.2 million. The round includes new institutional investors Canaan Partners, City Light Capital, and Baleon Capital, as well as strategic angels, including Dr. Nitin Nanda, the founder of Aligned Telehealth, acquired by Amwell. Mantra will use the extension to continue to expand its network of psychiatric and therapy providers to all 50 states. Additionally, the company will continue to sign and support contracts with health insurance carriers across the country to increase access to evidence-based mental healthcare for the 20 million post-secondary students in America. This move will help increase payment options for colleges and universities, and increase continuity of care for students during seasonal breaks and after graduation. 

While a recent survey indicates 72% of college and university presidents have reallocated or identified additional funding to address mental health, more than half (58%) said if they had unlimited resources they would hire additional staff—mostly in the counseling center. Mantra Health uses telehealth technology to deliver evidence-based mental health treatment by integrating directly with on-campus counseling and health centers to help them expand their services and make seamless off-campus referrals that meet the specific needs of their student populations. This improves student outcomes by making it easier for schools to access high quality mental health providers that can work across traditional daytime hours, as well as evenings and weekends, aided by the flexibility of telehealth.

Mantra Health's program is currently deployed across 26 college campuses with more than 180,000 students enrolled. Historically, counseling centers have said only 40-50% of students make it to their first appointment when referred to a community provider, with an even lower percentage among rural schools. Through a mix of software and care navigation, Mantra has seen that referral success rate spike to 97% when referring students to a Mantra-affiliated provider. 

"Mantra Health has seen a dramatic increase in demand from colleges and universities for their telemental health services since the beginning of the public health and civil rights crises last year, which caused a surge in students experiencing depression and anxiety," said Byron Ling, Partner at Canaan. "We seek to invest in category-defining teams with ambitious visions and believe that Mantra Health is building the preeminent digital mental health solution for universities and colleges. Their collaborative, evidence-based approach to telemental health leverages technology to improve access and outcomes, while deeply integrating with university counseling teams for comprehensive care."  

With the increased demand and associated costs among school counseling centers, Mantra Health started accepting in-network insurance from UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Cigna in January 2021. The latest capital infusion will help the company bring on additional health insurance carriers. By doing so, Mantra eases the financial burden that schools have been facing when providing behavioral health services to their students. Students also benefit by having the opportunity to remain in the same ecosystem of care whenever they leave campus for seasonal breaks or graduate and transition to post-college life, which can often be a vulnerable time for patients.  

"We're thrilled to welcome these new investors as we look to become the leading digital mental health player focused on Higher Education," said Ed Gaussen, co-founder & CEO of Mantra Health. "Covid has exacerbated the prevalence of mental health issues on college campuses, yet students aren't getting the care they need due to various structural issues. By launching our insurance partnership capabilities, we're taking a major step in our mission to democratize access to care for students across the country."

After bringing on Dr. Nora Feldpausch as Mantra Health's new Medical Director last month, the company is in the process of expanding services and obtaining licensure in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. in time for the Fall 2021 semester. 

According to Mantra Health's co-founder & COO, Matt Kennedy, "Offering 50 state coverage to our university partners through our collaborative clinical model will fundamentally change mental health delivery for university and college students. Our ability to deliver care across the country will improve access and enable continuity of care for the 20 million university students in America over summer and after they graduate. Furthermore, we are doing it entirely through our provider group under Dr. Feldpausch's leadership, keeping a tight control on clinical quality and continuing to build on our reputation as the most clinically-informed partner in our space."

Mantra Health Announces Multi-State Insurance Network Contracts and Fifty State Expansion; Brings Total Funding to $5.2M

Our story and inspiration behind the scholarship.

Since our founding in 2018, Mantra Health has been committed to serving and supporting diverse patient populations through the unique mental health challenges they face. Research demonstrates the inequities that BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities face in finding, accessing and maintaining quality identity-affirming care and support. According to the American Psychological Association, 84% of psychologists identify as White, making the mental health workforce less diverse than the American population (APA, 2018). With the dearth of diverse providers across our country, particularly in rural areas where many campuses tend to be located, colleges and universities face challenges in meeting the needs of historically-marginalized students. We believe that it's paramount to connect college students to mental health providers who can reflect their identities and experiences, and/or integrate them into the core of care with cultural humility.

Mantra’s affiliated provider group, Wellround Provider Group which is led by Medical Director and psychiatrist Dr. Kristel Carrington, recognizes the need for more diverse providers in the field of mental health. As telehealth now enables us to recruit and train providers from all locations in the country (so long as they are duly licensed), Wellround aims to fill this gap in care on campuses and maintain at least 50% representation of providers from diverse identities to better meet the needs of students.

Being in the higher education space, we understand that it is difficult for many students to get the support they need to achieve their academic and career goals. The mission of this scholarship is to support individuals from diverse backgrounds who are interested in becoming mental health providers. Our aim is to reduce barriers for BIPOC to enter the field, not only to provide equal opportunity and support for aspiring providers, but also to address disparities in mental health care at large.

Eligibility​: Graduate and postdoctoral students of color in the US who are actively pursuing a degree related to mental health (e.g. social work, counseling, psychiatry, occupational therapy) and are currently completing (or will complete) fieldwork/practicum/rotation in a university or college counseling center. Candidates for the scholarship are graduate students with historically marginalized identities (e.g. Black, Hispanic and Latinx, Native American, Asian and Pacific Islander). Graduate programs can be at the Master, Doctoral, or Professional/Medical level.

Application requirements​: Applicants must provide the name of the university counseling or health center of their current or upcoming placement, the dates of their placement, and the contact information for their supervisor at the university.

Our aim is to reduce barriers for BIPOC to enter the field, not only to provide equal opportunity and support for aspiring providers, but also to address disparities in mental health care at large.

If you know of a qualifying student or university representative who would like to learn more, visit our scholarship application page and share here.

Introducing the Mantra College Mental Health Provider Diversity Scholarship

The past year has brought heightened mental health stress to college campuses, not only because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but because of a nationwide reckoning with racial injustice. College students in the US have been at the forefront of activist movements since the Civil Rights Era. This year was no exception. They watched or participated in protests following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, and are investing time and energy into holding institutions accountable for diversity and equity. We know that protests, even when nonviolent, contribute to adverse mental health outcomes, which makes it more important than ever to support the mental health of college students.

Mental health consequences of societal unrest

There are many reasons that social unrest contributes to mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These consequences can be particularly pronounced among college students as they navigate a new experience away from home, surrounded by new people.

News that defies our basic expectations of society, including personal safety and being treated equally, forces us to re-evaluate. Confronting facts that contradict our world view provokes anxiety. It leaves us feeling less in control of our surroundings and our own lives. For many, student activism is a way to re-exert a sense of control.

At the same time, student activism is time- and energy-intensive. It takes individuals away from their regular schoolwork and extracurriculars, can interfere with healthy sleep habits, and can cause mental depletion and exhaustion – all of which exacerbate anxiety and depression. Students of color, who often represent the most invested campus activists, already face increased risk of depression and thoughts of suicide. Add to this the pressure of being a student activist, of feeling responsible for change, and it is clear why mental health support is critical for these communities especially.

Images of violence make people feel unsafe and can trigger PTSD for individuals who have previously experienced trauma. Again, students of color are particularly vulnerable to PTSD symptoms upon seeing damage done to people who look like them.

For those already in the mental healthcare system, social unrest may compound feelings of hopelessness and lead students to disengage from their care routine. It is important to acknowledge how current events interact with students’ mental health and to offer a variety of resources to meet their changing needs in a changing social/political climate.

Author-activist Angela Davis said it best: “Anyone who’s interested in making change in the world also has to learn how to take care of herself, himself, their selves.” Colleges have a role to play in spreading this message across campus.

How to fulfill these mental healthcare needs

Alongside this message, schools should promote existing campus mental health services to their civic-minded students and should try to increase appointment capacity during periods of heightened unrest. Beyond this, there are specific features of a mental healthcare system that allow it to best serve student activists and all participating in protests:

Minimize barriers to accessing care. Signing-up for a therapy intake appointment should be a quick, seamless process for already-overwhelmed students. Provider referrals for therapy or psychiatry should similarly be as fast and straightforward as possible.

Encourage self-care practices. Mental health providers can share strategies and resources to help students make self-care a habit. In between appointments, student activists can practice prioritizing self-care through measures such as turning off news notifications before bedtime, scheduling low-stress social activities at regular intervals, or adhering to a healthy exercise regimen to relieve stress.

Offer 24/7 support to parallel the 24/7 news cycle. Being able to securely message a mental health provider at any time, even without receiving an immediate response, is a helpful outlet for students experiencing anxiety related to societal unrest. News can break at any time of day or night. It is valuable for students to have access to mental health resources around-the-clock as well.

Make a range of resources available through stepped care. Not all students will feel ready to speak to a therapist right away, even after acknowledging a personal mental health concern. Some might feel more comfortable with telehealth visits to start, or may prefer digital resources to guide their own self-care. Given that societal unrest can also lead to disengagement from a prior mental healthcare routine, it is important that schools offer a variety of resources for students looking to scale up or scale down their treatment.

The call-to-action has never been louder: Students need expanded capacity and improved quality of mental healthcare from their colleges and universities as they live through a pandemic and a year of unsettling current events.

1. Ni M, Kim Y, McDowell I, Wong S, Qiu H, Wong I, Galea S, Leung G. Mental Health During and After Protests, Riots, and Revolutions: A Systematic Review. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2020; (54)3, 232-243. doi: 10.1177/0004867419899165

2. Caporino, N, Exley S, Latzman R. Youth Anxiety About Political News. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. 2020; 51(5), 683-698. doi: 10.1007/s10578-020-00972-z

3. Brownson C, Becker M, Shadick R, Jaggars S, Nitkin‐Kaner Y. Suicidal Behavior and Help Seeking Among Diverse College Students. Journal of College Counseling. 2014; 17(2), 116-130. doi: 10.1002/j.2161-1882.2014.00052.x

4. Wang X, Hegde S, Son C, Keller B, Smith A, Sasangohar F. Investigating Mental Health of US College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Survey Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2020; 22(9), e22817. doi: 10.2196/22817

5. Aymer S. “I Can’t Breathe”: A Case Study – Helping Black Men Cope with Race-Related Trauma Stemming from Police Killing and Brutality. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. 2016; 26(3-4), 367-376. doi: 10.1080/10911359.2015.1132828

6. Cornish P, Berry G, Benton S, Barros-Gomes P, Johnson D, Ginsburg R, Romano V. Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Today’s College Student: Reinventing Services through Stepped Care 2.0. Psychological Services. 2017; 14(4), 428. doi: 10.1037/ser0000158

What societal unrest means for mental health on campus

Reimagining mental health care for students.

Don’t just increase access, focus on outcomes.

In the media

For Universities: Our Program

Integrated telemental health, personalized to your university.

Our Comprehensive Program

Trusted by institutions like:

For Students

An experience tailored to university students.

Lifestyle Changes

24/7 Messaging,
Video Appointments

Progress Tracking

Hear from Students

Why Mantra

Blog

Mantra Health Announces Multi-State Insurance Network Contracts and Fifty State Expansion; Brings Total Funding to $5.2M

Introducing the Mantra College Mental Health Provider Diversity Scholarship

What societal unrest means for mental health on campus

Reimagining mental health care for students.

Don’t just increase access, focus on outcomes.

In the media

For Universities: Our Program

Integrated telemental health, personalized to your university.

Our Comprehensive Program

Trusted by institutions like:

For Students

An experience tailored to university students.

Lifestyle Changes

24/7 Messaging, Video Appointments

Progress Tracking

Hear from Students

Why Mantra

Blog

Mantra Health Announces Multi-State Insurance Network Contracts and Fifty State Expansion; Brings Total Funding to $5.2M

Introducing the Mantra College Mental Health Provider Diversity Scholarship

What societal unrest means for mental health on campus

24/7 Messaging,
Video Appointments