Talkspace acquires the Wisdo Health Peer Support Platform

Talkspace, a virtual mental health company, announced on Monday that it has acquired Wisdo Health, a social health and peer support platform.

Talkspace, based in New York, offers virtual therapies, psychiatry and medication management. Patients can connect with their clinicians by video, audio, cat or asynchronous text messaging. It serves both employers and health regimes.

Wisdo Health, also based in New York, uses an AI -based platform that connects members with trained peers who have shared lived experiences. Patients also have access to group sessions and monthly recordings with a coach. In addition, patients can follow their progress through regular investigations. The company is at the service of payers.

Talkspace has chosen to acquire Wisdo Health due to missions and aligned philosophies, said Erin Boyd, director of Talkspace growth. By acquiring Wisdo Health, Talkspace is able to extend its peer support capacities and better involve patients before, during and after therapy.

“This acquisition allows us to achieve our objective of expanding access via a complete continuum of care to high quality care, providing social support in a practical, safe and affordable manner,” said Boyd in an email. “The precision correspondence technology based on Wisdo AI connects the members with peers who share a lived experience, offers group coaching provided by certified coaches and, now, therapy for those who need it. Together, we are even better placed to meet people, wherever they are in their mental health course.”

The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. The CEO of Wisdo Health, Ron Goldman, will join Talkspace, just like the rest of the Wisdo Health team.

“Uniting our forces with talkspace allows us to provide the power of social health and peer support to millions of additional people. … Together, we will create a transparent continuum of care which will guarantee that people receive the right support at the right time – while continuing to widen our AI roadmap, built on one of the most richest data sets on solitude and social health.” Goldman in a press release.

Research shows that around 21 % of adults in the United States are alone. Loneliness can also lead to a myriad of health problems, including dementia, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideas, strokes and heart disease.

This acquisition of Wisdo Health allows Talkspace to make these statistics more easily evolve, according to Boyd.

“Thanks to this partnership, Talkspace is better placed to combat solitude and isolation by widening access to trained peers, moderate communities and group coaching,” she said.

Several other companies also attack solitude, including Pyx Health, Fello and Peppermint.

Photo: Nespix, Getty Images