According to the UK-based Mental Health Foundation, 20 per cent of adolescents may experience a mental health problem in any given year, yet fully 70 per cent of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions. Post-coronavirus, this situation has only gotten worse, as mental health services struggle to meet demand. Startup Maro aims to address this situation with a platform that helps families and schools navigate tough conversations about mental health.
Maro was launched in 2020 as a tool to provide teachers with accessible lesson plans around mental health. However, due to the pandemic, the platform launched first to parents instead. The Maro for Parents app includes digital modules and an AI-powered bot to help parents discuss difficult topics with their children. However, with students back in school, Maro for Schools is officially launching, with 350 schools already signed up.
In addition to providing teachers with accessible lesson plans around mental health, Maro for Schools also gives teachers access to resources on tough topics like sex education and drug use. Importantly, the platform allows for streamlined communication between teachers and counselors, allowing them to coordinate on getting faster help to children. Maro can also connect schools to referral partners who are doing virtual care.
Unlike some other platforms, Maro doesn’t conduct virtual care. Instead, it helps identify at-risk children early and then connect them with virtual care teams.
Written By: Lisa Magloff