This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 20.3% of adults sought mental health treatment in 2020. That means that around 66 million Americans received therapy, with an uptick that can be attributed to pandemic stress. As a result, people have had to get creative about their therapy sessions. Turning to text therapy options like Talkspace and BetterHelp, or meeting “virtually” with their regular therapists, people have Zoomed, texted, and emailed their way through the pandemic. Now, within the last year and a half, a new form of mental health help has sprung up. Called “mental health gyms,” platforms like Liberate and Coa are approaching mental health support in a whole new way, and doing it sleekly and stylishly—the on-trend fonts and visuals gear the websites toward a demographic desiring a fresh form of mental health care.
What are mental health gyms?
“Mental health gyms are programs that were created to work out the mind,” says Gina Moffa, LCSW, a grief and trauma therapist in private practice in New York City. “Founded on the basis that there were plenty of gyms to work out our bodies, but with more and more mental health burdens, especially during the pandemic, there wasn’t a place to go to work on the mind.” Presented as virtual group classes, along with one-on-one “mental fitness sessions meant to tackle topics such as stress and burnout,” as Moffa explains, these classes exercise your mind, except you won’t be pumping any iron here. Moffa adds that while some mental health gyms are run by therapists, such as Coa, others, like Liberate, are “run by people who are mindfulness practitioners and certified yoga instructors.” These classes more so focus on stress reduction than intensive therapy, centering on movement, journaling, and meditation. People can sign up for single classes or a class series and either pay by month or by series, carried out via Zoom or as pre-recorded, on-demand videos. How much do these sessions cost? For Coa, you can attend one class for $25, or you can purchase an eight-week series for $30 per class. Liberate has an unlimited membership in which you can view on-demand classes for $19 a month. While these alternatives are certainly more budget-friendly than traditional therapy (in which most people can expect to pay between $100 and $200 per session, according to GoodTherapy), are mental health gyms beneficial? Do they work? Two mental health pros are here to weigh in further on this recent trend.
How are mental health gyms different than therapy?
Allison Chawla, certified coach, psychotherapist, and alternative healer, says that while traditional therapy is usually conducted in an individual setting and session—one client with one therapist—mental health gyms are more of a combination of treatments and a space to receive those treatments. “I would compare it to a retreat of sorts where you go for a number of treatments versus one,” she says. “You can not only go for therapy sessions, but you can also go for classes, meditations, wellness practices, and a number of other modalities that help with mental health and wellness.” Moffa believes that mental health gyms help preventatively. She says that most people go to therapy when something is “very wrong” or “they feel helpless about a situation.” Mental health gyms help people tackle difficult or challenging emotions or situations “before they get worse.”
What are the benefits?
Moffa says that mental health gyms can help participants learn good coping skills and increase self-awareness. When one participates in virtual group classes, they can experience a sense of no longer going through something alone, something which she says is “incredibly healing.” “A community of people who are there to encourage mental self-care as a priority is just the thing our modern, overworked, overstressed society needs when other mental health support is not available or affordable,” she says.
Can they make people more resilient?
We’ve all had to build superhuman levels of resilience throughout the pandemic, and mental health gyms can help people uncover even more resilience. Think of it as circling the track at your gym, and with effort and practice, improving your time. “Like any support group, the energy and vibe of having a team behind you can be invaluable to anyone struggling with mental health issues,” Chawla says. “You know there are others who can relate to you, understand you, and support you at difficult times.” Moffa adds that when we are consistently working on our mental health, and not pushing difficult feelings away and sharing these feelings with others, it takes away the shame, stigma, and the need to go through it all on one’s own, otherwise known as things that can strengthen resilience. “Just like working out at a gym makes our bodies more resilient and able to bounce back from injury, so, too, can mental health gyms,” she says. “The more we exercise our ability to share our feelings with others, understand patterns, explore old wounds, and learn new tools for these going forward, the more mentally healthy we become in the long run.”
What’s the verdict?
Mental health gyms don’t need to take the place of traditional therapy. These classes can act as a complement to therapy. But Moffa does believe that there are times when mental health gyms can replace one-on-one therapy sessions. “I think in times where there is no access to a therapist, or there is someone hesitant to begin therapy, this could be a wonderful introduction to self-awareness and healing,” she says. She does caution that one should know what they are signing up for, saying, “If someone with a history of trauma who has not yet sought out treatment, but has intrusive symptoms and it has been overwhelming their everyday life, I believe that a mental health gym will not suffice entirely on its own without the help of an educated, trained, and specialized professional therapist.” In other words, more complicated mental health issues require the care of a professional therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. For the moment, mental health gyms are virtual, but one day, they’ll likely transition to in-person classes and sessions. Chawla advises, “Have an evaluation done to make sure it is the right fit for you. Ask for feedback from other members or look for honest reviews from those who have already experienced the facility. Do research on the practitioners involved and don’t go just for the sake of going, or because someone told you to give it a try. Make sure that it is really a good fit, and antidote, for you personally.” Moffa shares her personal view on the trend: “I am happy [mental health gyms] exist and believe that in conjunction with therapy, as needed, as well as other self-care behaviors, mental health gyms could change the way we look at our own overall wellbeing, for the better. Post-covid, mental health challenges will continue to be a heavy burden, and this will be a godsend to people who are looking for a place to begin their mindfulness and mental health wellness journey.” Next up, learn more about how text therapy works
Sources
Gina Moffa, LCSW, a grief and trauma therapist in private practice in New York City.Allison Chawla, certified coach, psychotherapist, and alternative healer.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Mental Health Treatment Among Adults: United States, 2020”GoodTherapy: “How Much Does Therapy Cost?”
