Mental Health App Users 3x More Likely to Complete Therapy Sessions When Using AI Support Features Between Sessions

We’re excited to share the results of our latest peer-reviewed study published in JMIR Formative Research. The findings show something we’ve long believed: when users engage with app features between coaching sessions, they’re nearly three times more likely to complete their mental health coaching appointments.

What we studied

We examined real-world engagement data from 1,213 users who subscribed to text-based sessions with mental health coaches on our platform between February and July 2022. We wanted to understand how using Wysa’s app features, like our AI conversational agent, self-help tools, and asynchronous messaging affected engagement and adherence to human coaching sessions.

The power of continuity of care

The results were compelling. Users who accessed app features between their coaching sessions completed significantly more sessions compared to those who only used the coaching feature. In fact, users who engaged with one or more app features completed an average of 6.57 coaching sessions compared to just 0.55 sessions for those who used coaching alone.

Continuity of care is a patient-centred approach that provides coordinated services and ongoing support. It has long been recognized as important in mental health treatment. Our findings highlight how digital mental health coaching platforms can deliver this through multiple touchpoints for support.

What our research team found

Users were almost three times as likely to complete their next coaching session after using at least one of the app’s adjunct features.This demonstrates that providing multiple touchpoints for support between sessions helps maintain the therapeutic relationship and keeps users engaged with their mental health journey.

The study revealed high usage of features that enabled communication with mental health coaches between sessions:

• • 78% of users utilized the journaling feature to send asynchronous messages to their Wysa coaches
  • Over 90% interacted with Wysa’s AI conversational agent
  • 87.8% of Wysa coaching sessions were rated as ‘very helpful’

What users are saying

The qualitative feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Users described their Wysa coaches as caring, trustworthy, and compassionate, and they valued having tools and resources available whenever they needed support.

“My therapist has helped me make huge progress in my capacity to handle life and difficult situations, and I am constantly learning from her. Her support has made a big difference in my life,” shared one user.

Users told us they appreciated having different ways to access support. Some highlighted how journaling gave them opportunities to express thoughts and emotions beyond sessions, while others found the AI-guided tools helpful for managing anxiety, improving sleep, and breaking negative thought cycles. 

What this means for digital mental health

These findings have important implications for how we design and develop digital mental health interventions. While further research is needed to assess the impact on clinical mental health outcomes, our study suggests that integrating features such as AI conversational agents, self-help tools, and asynchronous communication platforms can support therapeutic relationships and improve the overall effectiveness of digital mental health coaching.

We’re committed to continuing this research and building tools that provide holistic, continuous support for anyone on their mental health journey.

Read the full peer-reviewed study: https://doi.org/10.2196/73033