The Future Of Mental Health: Preventive Peer Support

Empowering mental well-being

By Joshua Ellison, Kindly Human

The idea that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is well accepted in healthcare.

Of course, there’s an enormous upside to preventing or detecting illnesses, diseases, and other health problems. Individuals benefit, and so do employers through lower absenteeism, improved productivity, and reduced healthcare costs.

While employer-sponsored preventive physical health services have exploded—weight loss, diabetes management, smoking cessation, and so on—mental health-focused options have lagged.

The anxiety, uncertainty, and isolation resulting from the pandemic have elevated the importance of mental health offerings. In fact, a recent Business Group on Health survey found that 73% of large and mid-sized employers say mental well-being is their primary focus.

This is no surprise given how mental health struggles impact organizations and their people.

One analysis found 83% of U.S. employees suffer from work-related stress. Stress alone results in an estimated one million employees missing work each day and costs U.S. employers more than $300 billion a year due to absenteeism, lower productivity, and accidents.

Employers undoubtedly see the value of mental and behavioral health resources for stress and other conditions; however, many of these focus on treating issues vs. preventing them.

With a shortage of clinical therapists, long wait times for appointments, and a growing emphasis on whole-person and inclusive support, there’s never been a better time to explore preclinical mental well-being options. Here’s why….

We All Struggle Sometimes

In addition to work challenges, people routinely face life stressors like loneliness, grief, relationship issues, or financial pressures.

Employers and employees recognize that leaving these issues at the door—work or home—isn’t particularly realistic or helpful.

What is helpful is talking to someone. Employee resource groups (ERGs), for example, provide a forum for connecting with like-minded co-workers.

Being able to talk to someone who is empathetic and nonjudgmental is a logical—and desirable—first step for many people. In fact, according to a Kindly Human survey, 84% of employees would prefer to start with a peer if that option was available to them.

Access to Clinical Help Is Still a Challenge

A recent survey by the American Psychological Association found that 60% of psychologists had no available openings for new patients. More than 40% had waiting lists of 10 or more patients.

The average wait time to access behavioral health services is about six weeks. That time can stretch into months if someone is looking for a specialist with particular attributes.

A long wait doesn’t square with what employees hope for when they’re struggling. Kindly Human has found that employees are looking for support within 24 hours. Sometimes all they want—or need—is someone to talk to in order to blow off steam or gain useful perspective.

Therapy Isn’t Always the Answer

Addressing stress is critically important, but it doesn’t always require clinical intervention.

Employers clearly understand this. They are investing in strategies to bolster mental well-being early on. The preventive mindset has led organizations to provide wider access to in-person and digital stress reduction solutions like meditation workshops and apps.

Workers, too, are open to timely non-clinical options that help them feel heard and supported when they need it most.

Affinity groups, support groups, and professional peers provide a non-clinical forum for improving emotional and mental well-being. There’s little stigma and few barriers attached to “just having a conversation” with someone who understands what you’re going through.

Human connection and the ability to relate are essential for building rapport and trust. Not surprisingly, according to a Kindly Human survey, 94% of employees say it’s important for peer listeners to possess backgrounds and experiences similar to their own. Almost all employees (97%) matched with a professional peer listener who shared similar life experiences and felt better after the conversation.

Prevention Requires Trust and Participation

Despite employers’ best efforts, it’s still sometimes difficult to deliver approaches that employees will use to prevent everyday stressors from becoming more serious.

Most large organizations offer employee assistance programs (EAPs), but utilization remains low—less than 10 percent.

A 2022 Mental Health America survey of more than 11,300 U.S. employees found that only 38% would be comfortable using their company's services for a mental health concern. Another survey revealed that 60% of U.S. employees experienced mental health symptoms in the prior year, yet eight in 10 workers did not seek treatment due to shame.

Employees also express discomfort about discussing personal or mental health issues with managers. A survey of nearly 1,000 employees found that more than half (54%) said they felt uncomfortable talking to their supervisors about mental health. About a third thought discussing these issues could lead to being fired, furloughed, or bypassed for promotion.

In contrast to these concerns, peer support among coworkers builds empathy and connection. Relying on colleagues for support, however, comes with limitations. ERGs, for example, typically lack assurance of confidentiality and professionally trained leaders. Also, these groups can mean time spent away from core job responsibilities.

Organizations sometimes rely on coaching services for one-to-one counseling. However, these services do not focus on trying to connect people with shared backgrounds.

Professional peer support offers employees the comfort of talking to someone who’s navigated similar experiences. Trained, certified individuals offer confidential, nonjudgmental listening. It’s a low-key, high-trust approach, with no worries about colleagues hearing or disclosing personal information.

Also, professional peer support programs direct employees to other resources as needed, amplifying the value of existing benefits aimed at both preventing and treating mental health conditions.

Managers Can Focus on Their Core Jobs

Of course, good managers and supervisors will be attuned to the stress levels and mental and emotional needs of their teams. But in challenging times, managers are coping with their own stress.

Professional peer support provides frontline listening and support for team members, so managers and supervisors can spend their time on their primary job responsibilities.

High-quality peer support organizations also will offer anonymous, aggregated reporting that identifies the topics that are most important to employees at any given time, such as job security, financial concerns, or health care.

These insights help leaders understand key issues in their employee populations while providing human resources (HR) with data for tailoring future benefits solutions.

The Future of Preclinical Mental Well-being

Professional peer support provides employees access to a wide range of resources, including trained peer listeners who foster one-on-one human connections. And for preventive value, almost 90% of employees surveyed by Kindly Human agreed that a professional peer support resource is helpful before someone needs clinical care, counseling, or medication.

Workers appreciate how professional peer support acts as a pressure relief valve for everyday stressors. Organizations value having a way to help prevent problems before they escalate into larger issues that can impact healthcare costs, productivity, turnover, and work quality.

As mental well-being initiatives continue to expand, professional peer support is a growing part of innovative, timely, and effective benefits strategies. It’s a preclinical option that is both proven to work and likely to be used.

Employees who are well-supported by their workplace are more likely to have improved mental well-being. And better emotional and mental well-being is key to a healthier, more productive organization.

Joshua Ellison is the Chief Growth Officer at Kindly Human , and he has more than 20 years of consulting, benefits, and healthcare expertise, including more than a decade of experience at Willis Towers Watson (WTW).

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