Sep 10 2020
TAO Connect, a digital platform designed to make behavioral health therapy more accessible and effective, today announces the launch of the TAO Connect V3 platform.
The new platform creates a more all-encompassing and interactive approach to online therapy and introduces the TAO Assistant, an AI chatbot that helps users tailor their experience within the platform. V3 is now available to TAO Connect’s more than 180 university partners and as a standalone self-help resource for consumers via desktop or mobile app.
TAO Connect’s V3 platform aims to reduce behavioral health concerns by providing users with more than 150 interactive sessions on anxiety, depression, substance abuse, anger, sexual violence and more. Additionally, the platform offers a library of mindfulness exercises, journal prompts, which include a substance abuse diary, an anxiety monitoring log, a relaxation and mindfulness log, and more. Progress measures are another tool that can be added to the user dashboard. These include an anxiety scale, wellness scale, and a behavioral health survey.
“The mental health implications of the ongoing pandemic are immense,” said Bob Clark, CEO of TAO Connect. “We’re determined to help people tackle the obstacles they’re facing with the launch of our V3 platform, making it easier for them to manage their mental health online and on their own time.”
The TAO Assistant is an AI chatbot that guides users through the platform. Upon logging in, it asks for a response on how the user feels each day and provides relevant tools and sessions. It also provides an update on the user’s progress on their assigned sessions and sends reminders. Additionally, the platform’s new main dashboard includes a progress survey tracker allowing users to monitor how they feel each day and evaluate their progress as they complete sessions. The updated dashboard also compiles the user’s to-do list, which links to their assigned sessions and automatically updates the list upon completion.
“Our goal is to provide behavioral health tools and resources to traditionally underserved groups,” said Dr. Sherry Benton, founder and chief science officer of TAO Connect. “College students are among those that are underserved and are extremely vulnerable to developing behavioral health issues like anxiety and depression due to the changes in their routine and uncertainty around their education and future. It’s important that campus counseling centers have the technology they need to support their students’ and community's mental health.”
Currently, students and faculty at 180 universities in North America have access to TAO Connect’s features via desktop or the mobile app. The free version of the platform is available to all citizens of Canada, and the complete platform is available to the citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.