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

Reimagining mental health care for young adults.

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.

College Students Need Quality Mental Health Care Now More Than Ever

On campuses across the country, the need for accessible, high-quality mental health services is rising. Grace Wickerson (Rice University Student Body President, 2019-2020) told Mantra, “A national study done by RISE found that 75% of college students have had increased anxiety, depression, or stress due to disruptions to their education. On my own campus I’ve seen this first hand, with mass calls from students for increased mental health support especially since their University is their main mental health provider.” 

Heightened demand for mental health services should be met with increased access to services. Yet, according to a recent Healthy Minds Network Study, 60% of students indicate that the coronavirus pandemic has made access to mental health care more challenging. Although demand for mental health services is rising, many college students are not visiting counseling centers to have their needs met. The Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) reports that the average number of students seeking treatment from college counseling centers declined significantly during the pandemic.  

Emergency Relief Funding for Mental Health Care

One of the greatest obstacles to improving mental health services on campus is budgetary constraints. Thankfully, the latest COVID-19 relief bill allocating $40 billion in funding for colleges and universities includes funds targeted for mental health care. 

The federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act established the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) model in March of 2020: at least 50% of funds must be allocated to student grants, while the remaining 50% can be spent on institutional costs arising due to the coronavirus pandemic. The American Rescue Plan (ARP), signed into law on March 11, 2021, builds upon the initiatives in the CARES Act by further funding the HEERF. 

The Department of Education has not yet released information about whether institutions that received CARES Act funding must take additional steps to secure ARP funds. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators will update their reference page as more information becomes available.

One of the “emergency costs” that the institutional portion of HEERF can be allocated towards is mental health care. Colleges and universities that received funding through the CARES Act and are waiting on ARP funding have resources to bolster mental health services on campus. Institutions of higher education now face the challenge of allocating funds to optimize student wellness. 

Higher Education Needs to Meet Growing Demand for Mental Health Services

Prioritizing quality mental health care poises colleges and universities for success. Students utilizing college counseling services report being more satisfied with their quality of life and academic performance. 

Not only do colleges with thriving wellness cultures and quality counseling have happier students, they also have higher retention rates. Struggling with mental health is the most common reason students drop out of college.  A Healthy Minds Network  study estimates that treating 100 depressed students in a school year can prevent 6 dropouts, saving colleges and universities an average of $240,000 in tuition costs. 

Unfortunately, colleges and universities lack the infrastructure to meet the diverse and extensive mental health care needs of their student bodies. In an Inside Higher Ed article, Kelly Davis, Director of Peer Advocacy Supports and Services for Mental Health America (MHA), characterizes the present challenges facing mental health care in higher education as “a larger version of the same problem we’ve seen on campus–people are struggling, we tell them to reach out for help, but we didn’t build the help.” 

A common challenge for college counseling centers is being under-staffed with resultant long appointment wait times. Luckily, necessity breeds invention: Shifting to telepsychiatry has convinced Dr. Davis that telehealth is “an effective way to provide the treatment that students need to thrive, without compromising outcomes.”

A substantial body of evidence finds telehealth to be equally as effective as in-person therapy in both levels of patient satisfaction and treatment efficacy. Dr. David Mohr, Director of the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, who researches telepsychology and digital mental health, told the American Psychological Association, “What we’ve seen is that telehealth is essentially just as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy—and retention rates are higher.” 

Telehealth also has unique benefits for colleges, universities, and their students when incorporated into existing campus structures. According to Larry Moneta, Ed.D., former Vice President of Student Affairs at Duke University and longtime advocate for telehealth in higher education, “Even prior to the coronavirus crisis, the contemporary lives of college students–perpetually on the go, highly stressed and with little time to spare–showcased the need for telehealth as augmentation to the excellent health care provided through student health and counseling centers on our campuses.”

Here are three of the most impactful ways telehealth improves mental health care for college students: 

1. Higher conversion on long-term care referrals.

A major challenge for mental health care on campus is appointment attendance within the community after a referral from the counseling center. Especially for students already struggling with their mental health, the directive to seek care off campus can be daunting. Telehealth is advantageous in that it lends itself to collaboration between the university and external providers, augmenting counseling center services instead of trying to replace them.  

Increased appointment availability and ease of scheduling translate to better follow-through for students referred to telehealth. Mantra’s internal research indicates that more than 95% of referred students attend their first telepsychiatry appointment when effective telehealth services are in place. 

On-campus counseling offices that take advantage of a digital portal have the added benefit of supporting students in pursuing self-care on their own time. Dr. Nora Feldpausch, Staff Psychiatrist at Michigan State University, explains that one of many benefits of telehealth is that it “support[s] patient self management by offering modules or links to resources such as psychoeducational handouts, empirically supported self-help apps, and crisis intervention services.” 

2. More inclusive care for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students.

Utilizing a telehealth service designed by medical experts with college students in mind can enable more patient centric care. With access to more specialists, diverse therapists, and customizable self-care resources, students can feel supported by therapy tailored to their needs. 

Telehealth also promotes culturally competent care by connecting students with therapists who “look like them,” or therapists who understand unique challenges they may be facing. Especially for students of color and LGBTQ+ students, the ability to transcend geographical boundaries and gain access to therapists they feel comfortable with can be a game-changer. 

3. Appointment availability on nights and weekends.

Telehealth allows more students to receive quality mental health care by enabling scheduling of exponentially more appointments. While high-risk students are understandably prioritized by counseling centers with limited services, with telehealth, preventative care can be offered to any student who wants to proactively manage their mental health through telehealth.

Many students are unable to take advantage of traditional counseling center services, which operate during the same hours as classes. By providing access to nighttime and weekend appointments, telehealth accommodates students with busy schedules. Not only does this support individual students’ wellbeing, but it minimizes stigma by normalizing therapy for everyone. Effective telehealth can transform campus cultures into emotionally enriching environments in which mental health care is celebrated. 

Optimize Relief Funding for a Mentally Healthy Student Body

Funding alone does not ensure quality mental health care on campus. Transforming mental health services to be easily accessible and widely utilized by college students requires thoughtful new infrastructure that complements and strengthens the existing campus structures, processes, and goals. 

To learn more about how Mantra can expand telehealth services on your campus through your CARES Act funding, get in touch to speak with our partnerships team.

The CARES Act and University Mental Health

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

Reimagining mental health care for young adults.

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

The CARES Act and University Mental Health

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

Reimagining mental health care for young adults.

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

The CARES Act and University Mental Health

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

24/7 Messaging,
Video Appointments