SonderMind Clinical Results: Delivering Effective Care With Evidence-Based Practices

SonderMind is on a mission to redesign behavioral health care by improving access, utilization, and outcomes. As an organization focused on measurement-based care, we’re committed to delivering high-quality care, and to giving our clinicians the evidence-based insights they need to inform their practice.

For clinicians, driving better outcomes for clients is a top priority — but objectively measuring what’s working and what’s not through assessments alone can be challenging. That’s why SonderMind has partnered with the University of Denver to study areas like therapy access, process, and outcomes. Through this research, we can use evidence-based insights to inform specific practice recommendations to help clinicians deliver effective, high-quality care.

Using data and research to inform care

Measurement-based care (MBC) is a data-driven approach to deliver mental health care, and includes clinical tools such as routine outcome monitoring (ROM), feedback informed care (FIC), and measurement feedback systems (MFS). At SonderMind, these tools include clinical questionnaires, such as the PHQ-9GAD-7, or functional assessment, that can help providers in clinical decision making and planning treatment interventions. 

Using our tech-enabled platform, Jesse Owen, PhD, a professor of counseling psychology at the University of Denver, is leading a team using anonymized data and metrics to answer relevant behavioral health questions, including:

• Does measurement-based care drive improved clinical outcomes at SonderMind?
• What specific factors should providers be aware of in order to best help clients improve?
• What factors contribute to clients completing their episode of care?

These answers will help better inform clinical decisions and ensure SonderMind clinicians are delivering the highest-quality of care to drive improved client outcomes.

Research results: SonderMind clients get better, quicker

As an evidence-based approach, measurement-based care is key in improving clinical outcomes when integrated with practice procedures in a technology-enabled setting. Our research found that SonderMind clients get better quicker, compared to national studies of other provider groups.

What we studied:

Improvement in anxiety symptoms based on GAD-7

What we found:

SonderMind clients are getting better faster compared to clients of other provider groups based on RCTs, averaging improvement to subclinical scores within six to eight weeks.

What we studied:

Time to first session

What we found:

On average, it takes a SonderMind client 9.8 days from being connected to a clinician to the first session, 55% faster than the industry standard of 14 -21 days.

Integrating research into practice recommendations

Our clinical research findings inform key insights for practices. These practical tips reinforce the importance of quick, continuous access to care and ongoing measurement-based care in improving client health outcomes:

• Obtaining clinical questionnaires (CQs) from clients and tracking progress in a technology dashboard leads to better outcomes on average.
• Getting clients to their third session increases likelihood of completion of a clinically-appropriate episode of care.
• Scheduling clients’ second session more quickly improves retention and decreases the risk of dropping out of care prematurely.
• Having weekly (or nearly weekly) sessions for the first six to eight weeks has a faster and more lasting impact on a client’s depression or anxiety.
• SonderMind clients using SonderMind’s treatment progress tools from the start of therapy are more likely to stay in treatment

Implementing a feedback loop for continuous improvement

Through an integrated platform with the University of Denver, we’ve built a feedback loop between our clinicians and SonderMind, so clinicians are continuously supported in delivering effective care.

This starts with analyzing millions of anonymized client data points to providing insights on clinician and client behaviors from externally validated findings, to sharing feedback and then updating clinical practices and continuous tracking of new data. 

The result? Improved and effective care delivery with practical tips that can be quickly integrated into our clinicians’ next session. Clinicians also receive ongoing support through our comprehensive suite of resources available to the SonderMind group, such as our Provider Community forum, office hours, newsletters, educational materials, clinical practice guidelines updates, and more. 

A community of clinicians dedicated to improving mental well-being

SonderMind is committed to supporting our clinicians in delivering effective, measurement-based care. We support a range of measurement-based, clinically-validated therapeutic approaches and invest in provider success and continued development as a clinician. As part of the SonderMind group, our clinicians have access to the tools, insights, education, and technology needed to help clients reach their goals and live healthier lives. 

‍Learn more about becoming part of the SonderMind group.