According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four college students have a diagnosable mental illness, and 40% of those students do not seek help. Of these students, 80% feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities, and 50% have become so anxious that they struggle in school. Modern Therapy is a new online mental health business that is trying to lower these numbers.

Co-founders Cassie and Brandon Christenson came up with the idea through personal experiences.

“I worked in a private practice and noticed there were so many barriers to people getting treatment. Many of my clients felt uncomfortable sitting in a waiting room, had to cancel appointments due to schedules, and had difficulties getting insurance to cover their care,” said Cassie Christenson. “I started Modern Therapy as a way to help my clients get past these barriers.”

Their business is completely online, there are no in-person meetings. Legally, this is possible because all the therapists are licensed in more states than just New York. They work through text, email, phone and video.

“When I realized how beneficial our services were to my clients, we expanded and started hiring therapists from all over,” said Cassie Christenson.

“Modern Therapy offers memberships, kind of like a gym, but for your mental health,” said Brandon Christenson. “We have two packages, unlimited text and email, [or] unlimited text, email, phone and video.”

The first option allows clients to contact therapists throughout the week as much as they need, although they generally respond two to three time a day. The second option does the same, but clients can also schedule as many 30-minute phone and video sessions through the weekdays as they need.

Each of these options are also paid for through a flat rate at either $25 a week for option one, or $50 a week for option two. Modern Therapy does also offer a one-session-at-a-time option, which is open for individual people at $65, or couples at $99.

“Our therapists work with clients of all ages, but as a company we work directly with a lot of colleges and college students,” said Brandon Christenson. “Since we started in August, we have a 100% retention rate.”

Students at SMSU who are interested in Cassie and Brandon’s business can find them online at https://moderntherapy.online/.