BUFFALO GROVE, IL – META, a Ceannate company, is a teletherapy platform built with the singular purpose for college students to gain confidential and easy access to mental wellness providers. The META platform has its own licensed, expert therapists. But in the face of the COVID disaster facing colleges, students, staff, and families, META is mobilizing to assist the hundreds of colleges nationwide that are closing campuses and moving to online instruction.
Normally, META connects students to its own national network of licensed counselors, therapists, and psychologists. While providers are browser-based, students download the app, choose a provider, and receive counseling through the privacy and convenience of their smart phones via chat, video, or voice calls. The platform provides students the freedom to choose a therapist who’s a good fit, and the ability to reach them quickly and easily.
To help students deal with the disruptions caused by the virus, META is offering its entire platform to colleges and K-12 institutions for use by their own counselors and therapists for 90 days at no cost to them.
“This is uncharted territory,” says Raj Rajan, CEO of META. “We founded this company to help students get easy, near-real-time access to counseling and for institutions to use our service at very low cost. At times like this, if our infrastructure can help institutions and their students in the short term, we will be there. People are more important than profits.”
The META team has launched a 90-day emergency trial period, beginning in three states this week including California, Florida and Michigan, and expanding into more states next week. META will waive the normal contracts and fees that universities pay to bring META onboard. After 90 days, schools can elect to keep META on their campus under an annual sponsorship contract, or terminate the relationship with no obligation. “Relying on each other is essential during times of crisis,” Rajan continued, “and this is META’s way of helping out as many people as we possibly can to get through this difficult period. We are happy to expand this offer to as many schools as want to participate.”
META allows users to filter therapists by specialty, view provider video bios, and send chat messages before receiving counseling. Providers are available during nights and weekends to better fit the student’s schedule and users can utilize medical insurance or pay out-of-pocket if they choose.
About META:
META is the nation’s first teletherapy app built specifically for college students. META offers real-time, video counseling with licensed mental health professionals from the privacy of an Android or Apple smartphone. META’s mission is to circumvent the stigma surrounding mental health by offering users an easy way to receive counseling without having to visit an on-campus location. The app is free to download, and sessions can be paid for via credit card or insurance. www.meta.app.