Social Innovation
Instahelp offers online counselling via chat or video calls – here CEO Bernadette Frech explains how mental health services like this could change your life.
Instahelp is busiest between 5pm and 9pm, with most inquiries coming in when regular psychological practices have closed for the night. Whether it’s relationship troubles, work stress or low self esteem, the Austrian startup offers counselling services via chat, phone or video call, it’s now available in five countries across Europe.
CEO Bernadette Frech brought in €3 million in investment when she showcased Instahelp on 2 Minuten 2 Millionen, which is the Austrian equivalent of Dragon’s Den. At the 4GAMECHANGERS Festival, the company, founded in 2015 by Toto Wolff, René Berger and Jürgen and Martin Pansy, was crowned startup of the year.
Online psychological counselling is gaining in popularity right now due to a worldwide increase in mental health problems. A lot of people never seek out professional help, but Frech swears by prevention, saying:“ We go to the gym to stay physically fit, so why not also do a regular emotional workout? Companies such as Renault and trivago now provide our services free to their staff as part of their corporate healthcare package.” Here, the 38-year-old tells us feelings that are supposed to be bad are actually good and how you can learn to deal with them better.
INNOVATOR: You’re the CEO of Instahelp, and a good client of the platform, so we hear..
Bernadette Frech: [Laughs.] Yes, I use the online psychological counselling service every Monday at 9pm. That’s my set time. Both my sons are in bed at that point. Then I can sit at my computer and go through all the things on my mind with the specialists in peace, or let them tell me what I should be looking out for on a daily basis. You very quickly uncover behavioural patterns and learn to recognise better the things that stress you. I can’t recommend it highly enough to everyone.
You have a PhD in Emotion Management at the Aston Business School in the UK. Is it possible to manage emotions?
You can manage them very well, actually. We aren’t just prey to them. We regulate them ourselves on a daily basis. Both in our professional and private lives, there are clearly defined emotions that are expected of us and emotions we have to suppress. My shareholder René Berger says, “Manage your emotions, otherwise they’ll manage you.” That hits the nail on the head.
But there’s an old adage about emotions not belonging in the workplace.
A manager can appear as tough as they like on the outside and invoke any number of tough facts and figures, but you can only make decisions with emotion. Reason isn’t enough on its own, and emotions actually are expected at the workplace. On the startup scene, for example, people always want total passion, even though enthusiasm is a short-term emotion.
Which emotions are people expected to suppress?
Pride is one example. We often don’t show it so as not to appear arrogant.
Studies show that suppressed emotions don't just have a negative impact on your mental health. They affect the immune system, too.
Exactly. It’s why products like Instahelp are so important. Our online psychological counselling service isn't an alternative to therapy – just from a legal standpoint, it can’t be – but it can help people avoid mental illness or burnout in the first place.
But nobody can have solely positive emotions. Anger and fear are part of life.
I’ve learned that there is no such thing as bad emotions, just emotions misconstrued. Anger, fear and shame can be great driving forces that you can use to your own advantage.
Can anger be a building block of success?
As long as you don’t go for anybody’s throat, then yes. [Laughs.] Anger is good for innovation. If you never feel angry when something doesn’t work, you won’t change anything and won’t look for new solutions. Fear, again, can push you to sharpen your senses and act with greater focus. We call that reframing. You simply take on another perspective.
Do you just mean putting a positive gloss on things?
It’s more about thinking flexibly. It would be too easy to say my job stresses me out or my children wear me down. Instead, I try to see what a great time this is for me and my sons, or what a privilege it is to have a job and such a responsible position like this at all. You can make of it what you will. If you’re angry about supposedly being treated unfairly – everyone knows that experience – then that provides an opportunity to find out what it is about this specific incident that makes you so angry. Once you know the real reason, you can move on.
How else can people manage their emotions?
Emotional forecasting, for example. We do sometimes have the choice of which situations we want to emote about.
What do you mean?
Do I really want to meet someone who I know is no good for me? Yes or no? Do I want a job that will allow no work-life balance? A lot of things are predictable; we just have to be more mindful. This is when a neutral expert can help.
What’s wrong with just giving one’s emotions free rein?
Nothing. But letting it all out needn’t imply a total loss of control or it being unpleasant for the other party. Of course you should be allowed to say, ‘I’m really angry about this. ’Then others know that this really means something to you. But you should be aware that moods are as infectious as yawns, so it’s more important to generate positive emotions.
What if someone in the team is always opposed to everything and brings everyone down?
My personal approach would be to address the problem, but I still want to have a very empathetic leadership style. We skip over unpleasant situations all too willingly because we don’t know how to deal with them. We might talk, but, ultimately, we don’t get anywhere because the person is caught up in a certain emotion. You’ll only reach the milestone you’re after once you bring the fears to the surface. Plus, you have to work with vision, and come up with that vision together, to give meaning to what it is we do.
Is there a sentence that always creates a good mood?
“Thank you.” We all do a lot and are happy when that is recognised and acknowledged.
We’ve spoken a lot today about direct communication. On Instahelp, I can, if necessary, consult a psychologist via chat only. Can one build a relationship by chat?
Yes. 60 percent of our clients use chat and 40 percent use phone calls and video. Chat may seem less personal, but it has its advantages. If you can’t sleep at 2am, you can put into words what you’re really feeling right then. You might only get the psychologist’s answer the next morning, but at least the wording is fresh. Plus the chat has a sort of diary function, and you can read through it, think it over... We know that online options are a good healthcare complement. Countries like Sweden prove that. You can already go to the doctor there via web cam and show them your symptoms. We still have a long way to go, though.
How online counselling works
- You log in anonymously to a service such as Instahelp
- Within minutes, a trained psychologist will appear online who, depending on the problem, will suggest an appropriate counsellor or clinical psychologist.
- The counsellor or psychologist will then get in touch within 24 hours. All the psychologists have at least three years ’experience and an additional qualification in online counselling.
- If you agree with the psychologist, the counselling sessions then go ahead via chat or encrypted telephone or video calls, with a 30-minute session costing €49 and a 50-minute session priced at €69. There is no required minimum number of sessions.
Facts & Figures
- Instahelp racks up 7,000 inquiries a month
- The gender ratio is 50:50, with men and women turning to Instahelp for advice in equal numbers
- Users range in age from 30 to 50
