Talkspace and the American Federation of Teachers Join Forces to Enhance Mental Health Support for Educators, Healthcare Workers and Public Employees

NEW YORK—Today, Talkspace (NASDAQ: TALK), a leading online behavioral healthcare company, announced a new partnership with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The partnership will offer discounted access to high-quality therapy and  evidenced-based mental health resources, including curated monthly content, to the AFT’s  1.7 million members, including educators, paraprofessionals, nurses, health professionals and retirees.

According to a recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, workplace stress has reached an alarming level, with 77 percent of workers reporting that they had experienced work-related stress in the last year. Educators in particular continue to grapple with elevated rates of stress and anxiety, as evidenced by a recent study highlighting that teachers report worse well-being compared with the general population of working adults.  

“Talkspace is proud to join forces with the AFT to deliver high-quality mental health support for educators and school personnel who stand on the frontlines, playing essential roles in shaping positive futures for our youth,” said Natalie Cummins, chief business officer of Talkspace. “This partnership highlights our ongoing commitment to championing mental well-being and providing accessible, affordable mental health resources to those in the field of education and beyond.” 

“Ask any working person today—especially educators, healthcare professionals and public employees— and they’ll tell you that increased stress, trauma and anxiety are a part of their daily lives,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Our educators, nurses and the many other people we represent make their career caring for others; but to do their jobs well, they need to be able to care for themselves too. Self-care is more than spa days and movie nights; it’s having the time, access and resources to devote to their own mental well-being, including therapy. As their union, the AFT wants to make it easier for the people who care for our students, our patients and our communities to get help when they need it, too. With Talkspace, our members can access important therapy and mental health resources at a discounted rate so their own wellness never has to take a back seat.”

This collaboration with AFT builds upon Talkspace’s successful collaborations with schools, education departments and municipalities nationwide. Through this partnership, AFT members will have seamless and affordable access to online therapy, complemented by an exclusive $100 discount on their inaugural month of any Talkspace therapy subscription. In addition, Talkspace will provide AFT members with educational blog articles and resources they can apply to their daily work lives, including strategies for avoiding burnout as well as identifying and supporting mental health challenges among co-workers.

About Talkspace

Talkspace (Nasdaq: TALK) is a leading virtual behavioral healthcare company committed to helping people lead healthier, happier lives through access to high-quality mental healthcare. Talkspace believes that mental healthcare is core to overall healthcare and should be available to everyone.

Talkspace pioneered the ability to text with a licensed therapist from anywhere and now offers a comprehensive suite of mental health services from self-guided products to individual and couples therapy, in addition to psychiatric treatment and medication management. With Talkspace’s core psychotherapy offering, members are matched with one of thousands of licensed providers across all 50 states and can choose from a variety of subscription plans, including live video, text or audio chat sessions and/or asynchronous text messaging.

All care offered at Talkspace is delivered through an easy-to-use, fully encrypted web and mobile platform that meets HIPAA, federal and state regulatory requirements. Talkspace covers approximately 113 million lives (as of Sept, 30, 2023) through its partnerships with employers, health plans and paid benefits programs.

For more information, visit www.talkspace.com.

About the American Federation of Teachers 

The AFT represents 1.7 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators. For more information, visit www.aft.org.