True cross-disciplinary thinkers are still a rare sight in mental health. With traditional mental health clinicians and researchers on one side, and technologists on the other side, the industry is still in a large sense defined by siloed thinking.
Dr. Matt Scult is a rare exception. A licensed clinical psychologist, with a background in neuroscience and product development, Dr. Scult has spent his career tackling mental health’s engagement problem from both sides of the divide. Today, as Vice President of Clinical Science at Scenario, an AI-powered visualization app, Dr. Scult ensures that the app’s AI outputs are informed by clinical science.
I spoke to Dr. Scult, who is a member of our Mental Health Advisory Board, about his career, the mental health system’s biggest challenges, and why finding the right therapist is a bit like finding the right plumber. Here are a few of the biggest takeaways from our conversation.
Just as it's hard to get people excited about eating vegetables, it’s not always easy to make something like therapy or a mental health invention exciting to the average help-seeker.
Because of this, Dr. Scult, who has worked as a researcher, therapist, and advisor to technology product organizations, believes that the mental health space should take more lessons from the tech space, where builders have made a science of developing digital experiences that deeply engage and hook users.
“In general, I think my experience has given me a deeper understanding about the gaps in how researchers and product people approach the same problems,” he said. “People who build in other spaces know how to create engaging experiences; on the other hand you have clinical researchers who know what helps people get better, but can’t get anyone to engage with what they offer. The goal is to try to find a way to align both of these things while making the right trade offs.”
Mental health has a big aggregation problem. Services, resources, and data are all highly fragmented across different providers, platforms, and funding models. This makes it hard for help-seekers to find the right care, understand their options, and navigate the system with confidence.
Dr. Scult has seen a similar problem during his time at clinics. Despite offering low fee services – which are typically high in demand – these clinics often struggled to make potential patients aware of their offerings. “People just didn’t know about them. It was all just very inaccessible,” he said. “ That’s why I believe we need a solution that can connect the dots and provide a resource where people can find what they are looking for, while also explaining different ways that people can find care and support.”
For most people finding care is one thing; it’s another challenge entirely to understand the differences between providers’ expertise, approaches to therapy, and even how to pay for care. Many get so overwhelmed that they give up before their journey even begins.
There are two sides to this problem, says Dr. Scult. Not only do help-seekers need a single place to find care, they also need a resource that they can trust. Since many people are seeking care without a deep understanding of the nuances, it’s critical for platforms to focus on quality - both in the services they feature and in how information about those services is displayed.
“It's like when you are trying to find a plumber and you don't know anything about plumbing,” says Scult. “Nothing is more helpful in this situation than having a friend who understands plumbing and can help you figure out what you really need and who you can rely on.”