Community within the Corporate: Findings from a Delphi Study on Community-Informed Care in the Private Sector
The Center for Global Mental Health & ArcaMind Global Institute
Who are we?
Alesha Cid-Vega
Sophia Ryder
PhD Student @ UMiami & Arcamind
Fellow
Research Associate @ CGMH
Rachel Kovacs
Research Assistant and Master’s Student @ CGMH
Adam Brown
Professor & Director of CGMH
Agenda Background Methods
Results
Next Steps & Hopes
Background
Burnout, MSDs, and Chronic Stress
20% report that their job is their top life stressor (Pew Research Center, 2024)
~79% reported work stress in 2020, 2021 (APA, 2022)
25% ofAmericans are burnt out before 30 (Deckham, 2025)
~40 million US workers reported low back pain (Luckhaupt et al., 2019)
~11.2 million reported upper MSD symptoms (Andrew et al., 2018)
51% of U.S. employees report experiencing a lot of stress “yesterday,” and 42% report worry. (APA, 2023)
Gaps In Care
Pre-pandemic: 21.6 million reported moderate-to-severe depression/anxiety symptoms. ~40% of them were unable to receive treatment.
➢ 23% reported skipping therapy due to cost
❖ Over ½ of US population in a MH workforce shortage area (Bureau of Health Workforce, 2023)
❖ ⅓ of employees struggle to access MH/behavioral services (EBRI, 2025; Path Forward, 2025) (KFF, 2022)
Global Mental Health & Capacity Building
Non-specialist providers can safely and effectively deliver low intensity MH interventions.
The World Health Organization has developed a series of MHPSS task-sharing interventions
This approach also targets:
Cultural relevance
These can be culturally and contextually adapted.
Stepped Models
Capacity building are different levels of care promotes prevention, appropriate intervention and referral processes.
Community-delivered support has shown to increase engagement & access to care.
Even ‘finance-bros’ struggle!
A PARTICIPANT FROM A DATA ANALYTICS COMPANY
“The finance sector can tend to be a very fast paced, high-performance culture. It can often celebrate unhealthy behaviors that can lead to burnout.”
Method
The Delphi Method
❖ To identify core components, delivery models, and guiding principles for integrating MHPSS in corporate settings.
❖ To prioritize implementation strategies based on importance, feasibility, and urgency.
❖ To explore differences in expert perspectives across sectors.
1. Gather experts in the field
2. Establishes preliminary perspectives on a new area of inquiry to guide next steps.
3. Consensus on:
➢ Delivery and measurement models
➢ Core components of mental health in corporate workspaces
Methods - Steps:
1. Independent weigh-in
2. Extract key statement and send for rating
3. Administer further discussion
4. Repeat 1-2x or until consensus is reached
The Process
Recruitment Exploration
13 Experts
Do you feel like mental health concerns have changed in the workplace over the past 5 years and if so, how?
Results
Who’s in the room?
13 Corporate Leaders & Decision-makers
What keeps corporate leaders up at night?
Burnout Isn’t the Exception. It’s the Baseline.
COVID Changed the Game
What increased:
● Mental Health needs
● Visibility and Awareness
● Employer responsibility
What intensified:
● Hybrid/remote boundary erosion
● “Always-on” expectations
● Isolation
Quotes from Experts
“In general we know that anxiety levels for young people are very high post COVID.”
“With lines more blurred between home and work, it's more about work/life harmony than work/life balance. Drawing boundaries can be a challenge. “
“Conversations about anxiety, depression, and burnout are more normalized, and organizations are investing in mental health benefits and training.”
“in the post-pandemic and more volatile time period, many companies are swinging back again to having less focus in the area of well-being, reducing flexibility and focusing more on cost-cutting.”
“The remaining effects of COVID and concerns how the decisions of our federal government will affect their day to day lives.”
The Gap isn’t access. It’s Execution.
Structural Constraints
● Limited budget
● Competing Organizational priorities
● Lack of Standardization
● Fragmented program delivery
Cultural Barriers
Leadership & Accountability Gaps
● Stigma persists
● Low utilization
● “Always-on” expectations
● Fear of Judgment
● Inconsistent buy-in
● Limited manager Training
● Difficulty measuring impact
Quotes from Experts
“In oil and gas there is a significant pressure to perform at a high level.”
“The challenge has been getting employees to understand and actually use all of the offerings we provide.”
“Budget is often determined by outside factors, but again, leadership must buy in in order to support and policies must be developed within the organization based on the needs of the employees and their families.”
“Despite progress, stigma persists. Employees may avoid using available resources for fear of judgment.”
“The work environment and culture can either support or detract from employee mental health and well-being.”
Role of Technology
Apps & Portals
● Health questionnaires
● Initial Health assessments after log-on
● Required continued education
● Telehealth
● Short & interactive modules
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
● Support engine
● AI “work buddy”
● Specific to employee needs
● AI decision engine
Privacy & Security Concerns
● External Vendor
● Not 100% secure
Quotes from Experts
“I invision AI/chatbots to support employees so they don't have to dig for information or email benefits/hr leaders.”
“I think telehealth in all it's components is the wave of the future. I also believe it needs to be integrated into the day to day work we do. Perhaps and AI workbuddy that helps monitor, interrupts when warranted and provides support.”
“Mental health apps and psychoeducation portals provide on-demand, confidential support for employees who value privacy and flexibility.”
“Log in, answer a question - perhaps, "How did you sleep" at the beginning your day. every two hours of continuous on-line work, a pop up "don't forget to get up and stretch" and a character begins showing what stretches to perform.”
“I think an employee could use AI/chatbot of somesort to type in their needs or what their looking for to automatically be served programs that they could benefit from.”
Next Steps & Hopes
Next Steps & More
❖ 2-3 more rounds of rating
❖ Write up, publish findings
❖ Pilot a MHPSS study in an organization
❖ Integrate into services
❖ Implement in multiple sectors
❖ Learn from more organizations
❖ Collect hard data
Questions?
“What feels most realistic to implement in your setting?”
“What feels like the biggest barrier—culture, budget, or accountability?”
