In a landscape where mental health care is in greater demand than ever, New York City-based Resilience Lab is making waves with its new group therapy offering. This innovative initiative aims to address two major challenges facing the mental health care industry: the clinician shortage and the high cost of care. By offering group therapy as a core treatment modality, Resilience Lab hopes to make mental health services more accessible, affordable, and effective for people struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.
The company’s approach is unique, combining hybrid outpatient care with evidence-based, measurement-based care to provide high-quality treatment that is covered by insurance. This pilot program, currently offered in New York and New Jersey, marks a significant step forward in the evolution of mental health care, particularly as the need for accessible, scalable solutions grows.
Addressing the Mental Health Crisis
Mental health has become a major public health issue in the U.S., with millions of people affected by conditions such as anxiety and depression. However, there are significant barriers to accessing mental health care. One of the most pressing concerns is the shortage of qualified mental health clinicians. According to recent data, the U.S. mental health workforce is not equipped to meet the demand for services, leading to long waitlists and limited access to care. At the same time, the high cost of therapy often makes it out of reach for many individuals, particularly those without comprehensive insurance coverage.
Resilience Lab’s new group therapy offering directly addresses these issues by allowing providers to see multiple clients at once, thus reaching more people with fewer resources. By incorporating group therapy into its model, Resilience Lab aims to reduce wait times, increase efficiency, and offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional one-on-one therapy. Group therapy has long been recognized as a powerful treatment modality, and Resilience Lab’s version is built on a foundation of evidence-based care, ensuring that clients receive high-quality support.
The Power of Group Therapy
Group therapy is a treatment modality that has been used for decades, particularly in facility-based care settings like psychiatric hospitals and addiction treatment centers. According to federal data, nearly all psychiatric hospitals (99%) and a significant majority of addiction treatment providers (92%) offer group therapy as part of their programs. Despite its widespread use in these settings, group therapy has been underutilized in private practice.
Research from the American Psychological Association (APA) reveals that only about 5% of therapy in private practice is conducted through group therapy. However, the APA also highlights that group therapy can be just as effective as individual therapy for a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and trauma. In fact, group therapy can sometimes be more effective than individual therapy due to the solidarity and support that patients experience from their peers.
Marc Goldberg, co-founder and CEO of Resilience Lab, explained the rationale behind launching the group therapy program: “Unfortunately, group therapy in private practice is often used as a placeholder for clients as they wait to get a therapist or to artificially minimize waitlists. It was important for Resilience Lab to develop a successful modality of care where clients could receive standalone mental health care that could reach more people, reduce costs, and be covered by insurance while providing high-quality care.”
This approach offers a solution to the access and affordability issues in mental health care, as group therapy can be a more cost-effective option, allowing a single therapist to provide care for many people at once. It also provides patients with a sense of community and shared experience, which can be particularly valuable for those who feel isolated in their mental health struggles.
Hybrid Care and Measurement-Based Treatment
What sets Resilience Lab’s group therapy apart from traditional models is its hybrid structure and commitment to measurement-based care. Hybrid care combines in-person and virtual elements, allowing patients to participate in therapy from the comfort of their homes while still benefiting from the structure and social support that in-person groups offer.
Measurement-based care is a data-driven approach to treatment that tracks a patient’s progress over time. By collecting and analyzing data from each patient, clinicians can tailor their approach to meet the individual’s specific needs, ensuring that they receive the most effective treatment possible. In the context of group therapy, this means that each participant’s progress is closely monitored, and the therapist can adjust the group’s focus and activities based on the collective needs of the group.
This evidence-based approach ensures that Resilience Lab’s group therapy sessions are not just about providing a space for patients to talk about their issues—they are structured and guided by clinical expertise to deliver real, measurable results.
A Pilot Program with Expanding Reach
Resilience Lab’s group therapy offering is currently being rolled out as a pilot program in New York and New Jersey, with plans for future expansion. The company already serves patients in several states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, and aims to bring its innovative group therapy model to more regions as it expands.
By offering the service through insurance, Resilience Lab is ensuring that it remains accessible to a wide range of patients, including those who may not otherwise be able to afford traditional therapy. This is particularly important in an era when insurance coverage for mental health services is often limited, and many patients are unable to access the care they need due to high out-of-pocket costs.
In addition to addressing access and affordability, group therapy also helps alleviate the mental health clinician shortage. With fewer clinicians available to meet the growing demand for mental health care, group therapy allows providers to treat multiple patients at once, maximizing the use of available resources. This makes it a win-win for both patients and providers, as it ensures that more people can receive care while also easing the burden on mental health professionals.
A Growing Trend in Behavioral Health
Resilience Lab’s group therapy program is not the only recent development in the behavioral health space related to group therapy. Several other mental health companies have also recognized the benefits of incorporating group therapy into their offerings.
For example, hybrid outpatient mental health startup Two Chairs recently announced the launch of group therapy alongside a new care navigation service. Similarly, Carraway, a digital health company focused on women’s care, acquired the digital group therapy company Sesh in September, signaling a growing interest in group-based mental health care.
Early-stage ventures are also incorporating group therapy into their service offerings. Guidelight Health, a company specializing in partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), raised $16 million to expand its platform, which includes group therapy. Cartwheel Care, a digital health startup focused on youth mental health, also offers group therapy as part of its care model, reflecting the growing recognition of the modality’s value.
The Future of Group Therapy in Mental Health
As the mental health care landscape continues to evolve, group therapy is poised to play an increasingly important role in meeting the needs of a diverse and growing patient population. Resilience Lab’s innovative approach to group therapy, grounded in evidence-based care and accessible through insurance, represents a significant step toward addressing the nation’s mental health access and affordability challenges.
By offering a scalable, efficient, and effective treatment modality, Resilience Lab is helping to ensure that more people can receive the mental health care they need—when they need it. As the pilot program expands and the company’s reach grows, it’s clear that group therapy will be a central part of the future of outpatient mental health care.
