Therapy Gains Ground as a Go-To Solution for Everyday Stress and Social Connection
Modern Health, a global workplace mental health platform, has released new international research examining how employees use therapy and other forms of mental health support. The survey finds that therapy is increasingly being used not only for clinical mental health needs, but also for everyday workplace stress, relationship challenges, work-life pressures and the simple need for someone to talk to.
The research suggests that while employees generally view therapy positively, many believe they are receiving a level of care that is more intensive than necessary for some of the concerns they bring to treatment. According to the survey, 88% of respondents said therapy met their needs, but 60% said therapy felt more intensive than what they actually required.
Modern Health said the findings highlight a growing need for employers to provide a broader range of mental health resources that can match employees with an appropriate level of support as their needs change.
The research surveyed 2,000 full-time employees working at companies with at least 250 employees across the United States, United Kingdom, Mexico and Singapore. All participants had either used therapy previously or were currently receiving therapy.
The findings come at a time when employers are facing continued increases in healthcare spending. Business Group on Health has projected that U.S. employer healthcare costs will rise 9.2% in 2027, representing a fourth consecutive year of increases approaching double-digit levels. Mental health remains among the conditions contributing significantly to employer healthcare expenditures as utilization increases.
Modern Health’s research suggests that part of this spending may reflect employees receiving clinical services for concerns that could potentially be addressed through other forms of support, such as coaching, workplace interventions or stronger managerial guidance.
Therapy Becomes the Default for Everyday Stress
The survey points to a growing overlap between ordinary workplace challenges and clinical mental health care. Seventy-eight percent of respondents said normal workplace frustrations are increasingly being treated as mental health issues rather than as an ordinary part of working life.
Similarly, 76% said everyday stress is increasingly viewed as a medical problem requiring professional treatment.
The research also found that 76% of employees believe therapy has become the default response to challenges that previous generations might have addressed through friends, family, faith or community networks. Sixty percent said people have become overly reliant on therapy as an answer to different forms of stress.
For some employees, therapy has also taken on a social dimension. Sixty-four percent said therapy has become something of a status symbol associated with self-awareness. Meanwhile, 42% of respondents globally said they turn to therapy simply because they want someone to talk to.
The reliance on therapists for emotional support also appears to be replacing traditional support networks for some employees. Twenty-two percent said they rely on their therapist for emotional support more than they rely on friends or family. In Mexico, that figure rises to 51%.
Alison Borland, Chief People and Strategy Officer at Modern Health, said the increase in mental healthcare utilization should not itself be considered the central problem. She noted that greater use can reflect previously unmet needs and progress toward a more integrated approach to healthcare.
However, she argued that automatically directing every emotional or behavioral concern toward clinical therapy can result in employees receiving care that does not correspond to their specific needs.
Employees Report Pressure to Start and Continue Therapy
Modern Health’s research examined not only why employees seek therapy, but also what happens after they begin receiving care.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said there had been a time when they felt pressured to seek therapy even though they were uncertain whether they actually needed it.
The survey also identified a pattern of employees continuing therapy after they believed their initial concerns had improved. Sixty-five percent said they continued weekly therapy sessions after they already felt better, while 58% continued attending after achieving their goals because they were anxious about losing ongoing support.
Thirty-seven percent acknowledged exaggerating or embellishing their symptoms to justify continuing therapy or to feel that an appointment was worthwhile. Among respondents who continued therapy after they felt better, 25% said they simply assumed they were expected to continue indefinitely.
The research also suggests that employer-funded access can influence utilization. Eighty-one percent of respondents predicted that people would be more likely to continue using therapy after they had improved if the service were fully covered by their employer.
Modern Health Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Jessica Watrous said the findings do not suggest that therapy is ineffective. Instead, she said effective clinical care should have a defined purpose, with clear indicators of progress and a plan for what happens when treatment goals are achieved.
Workplace Stress Is a Major Driver of Mental Health Care
The workplace itself has emerged as a significant factor behind employees’ decisions to seek therapy or coaching.
Overall, 71% of respondents said their need for therapy or coaching was directly connected to workplace stress. In the United States, the figure was 65%.
Managing everyday stress was the leading reason employees sought therapy globally, cited by 42% of respondents. In the United States, the proportion was even higher at 47%.
Employees also reported seeking professional support for workplace-related reasons beyond clinical symptoms. Thirty-one percent said they sought therapy to develop skills for managing stress or improving their performance at work, while 28% sought help dealing with difficult colleagues or workplace situations.
Reasons varied considerably between countries. In Singapore, work-related skill development was the leading reason for seeking therapy, cited by 43% of respondents. In the United Kingdom, the most common reason was wanting someone to talk to, at 39%. In Mexico, family and relationship support was the leading reason, reported by 47%.
The research also reveals strong demand for preventative approaches. Ninety-three percent of employees globally said they would rather see their employer invest in support designed to prevent burnout before it occurs.
Managers Could Play a Greater Role in Addressing Workplace Stress
A significant portion of workplace-related stress may be connected to organizational or managerial issues rather than conditions requiring clinical treatment, according to employees surveyed.
Among the 71% who sought therapy or coaching because of workplace stress, 51% said all or most of that stress could have been addressed through guidance or action from a manager. Examples included clearer communication, more reasonable workloads and better leadership.
Yet employees often do not bring these concerns directly to their managers or human resources departments.
Thirty-five percent said they sought therapy or coaching because of workplace stress instead of speaking with their manager or HR.
The reasons for avoiding these conversations varied. Forty-two percent said managers were too focused on productivity and efficiency to prioritize employee well-being, making this the leading reason among U.S. respondents.
In the United Kingdom, Mexico and Singapore, the most common concern was that employees did not consider it appropriate to discuss personal or emotional issues with their manager. Overall, 41% cited this concern.
Another 33% said their manager did not appear comfortable having conversations about employee well-being. Thirty-seven percent worried that discussing mental health or workplace stress could negatively affect promotions, performance reviews or potential layoffs.
Meanwhile, 30% said their manager had never received training on how to discuss workplace well-being.
Matt Levin, CEO of Modern Health, said the research demonstrates that workplace stress can originate within the work environment itself rather than simply being an external issue that employees bring into their jobs.
He pointed to issues such as heavy workloads, unclear expectations and difficult workplace conversations as examples of problems that managers may be able to address directly when properly equipped and trained.
AI-Related Anxiety Adds Another Layer of Workplace Pressure
Artificial intelligence is emerging as another source of workplace anxiety, according to the survey.
Forty-three percent of employees said concerns about AI replacing their jobs or changing their roles had contributed to their need for therapy or coaching.
The percentage was highest in Singapore, where 65% reported AI-related anxiety as a factor in their need for support. The figure was 39% in the United States and 35% in the United Kingdom.
Younger generations reported particularly high levels of AI-related concerns. Forty-seven percent of Millennials and 46% of Gen Z respondents said anxiety about AI had contributed to their need for therapy or coaching.
Despite growing concern about AI’s impact on employment, respondents were generally reluctant to view artificial intelligence as a replacement for human therapists. Sixty-eight percent globally said they would definitely or probably not trust AI to replace a therapist. The figure increased to 72% in both the United States and United Kingdom.
Coaching Emerges as a Potential Middle Ground
The survey also highlights coaching as an underused option for employees dealing with everyday stress and professional challenges.
Ninety percent of respondents said a lack of understanding about coaching could prevent people from using it. Thirty-eight percent still primarily associate coaching with executives and wealthy employees.
At the same time, 83% said they believed at least some of the issues they had taken to therapy could have been addressed through coaching.
The areas employees identified as particularly suitable for coaching included everyday stress, cited by 57%; work-related stress, at 53%; work-life balance, at 52%; and self-confidence, habits and accountability, at 50%.
The findings also indicate potential differences in how men approach mental health support. One-third of men said stigma or embarrassment had prevented them from getting therapy when they wanted it. Twice as many men as women reported currently using coaching, while therapy utilization between men and women was nearly equal.
Among men, 87% said some or most of the issues they had brought to therapy could have been addressed effectively through coaching. In addition, 86% agreed that coaching is becoming an important next stage of professional development.
Across the entire survey population, 72% said they would use a workplace coach instead of therapy if coaching were available. Eighty-five percent said having access to both coaching and therapy would be helpful.
The survey also found that coaching may carry less perceived stigma. Eighty-seven percent said people experience less stigma when using a coach than when using a therapist, while 82% said coaching feels more approachable. Nearly three-quarters, or 74%, said people who use coaches are more likely to be high achievers.
Dr. Watrous emphasized that coaching and therapy serve different purposes rather than competing for the same role. She described coaching as a potentially useful resource for everyday stress, habits, accountability and skill development, while emphasizing that coaching should not be viewed as a substitute for clinical treatment when clinical care is appropriate.
Overall, Modern Health’s research points toward a workplace mental health model that extends beyond a single therapy-based pathway. The findings suggest that employees may benefit from access to multiple levels of support, ranging from managerial intervention and workplace resources to coaching and clinical therapy.
For employers, the research raises questions about how mental health benefits are structured and whether employees are being directed toward the level of care that best corresponds to their needs. For employees, it highlights the importance of having different options available as circumstances change.
The research does not challenge the value of therapy. Instead, it underscores the potential importance of matching the type and intensity of support to the problem being addressed, while ensuring that employees can access clinical care when it is genuinely needed.
About Modern Health
Modern Health is a global leader in adaptive mental health care, dynamically offering multi-modal mental health support that delivers meaningful outcomes at a sustainable, predictable cost. With therapy, psychiatry, coaching, community groups, self-guided tools, and crisis support we dynamically create individualized care journeys to address a spectrum of mental health needs and preferences with culturally responsive providers in 200+ countries and territories and 80+ languages.
Backed by peer-reviewed research and a proprietary blend of technology and live support, Modern Health delivers measurable outcomes, globally equitable access, and sustainable pricing. Our industry-leading Adaptive Care Model and dedicated, human centered, operationally tuned, customer success partners make us a trusted partner for organizations worldwide.