Virtual Therapy Utah

Accessible Virtual Therapy for Utah Residents

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that an estimated 700,000 Utah residents struggle with a mental health condition such as anxiety and depression. This number is more than 3-times the population of the state’s capital, Salt Lake City. Of particular concern, is that about 192,000 of Utah adults have a serious mental illness, and that nearly 17% of UT adolescents between the ages of 12-17 experience a major depressive episode each year. The stage is set for a more troubling future when considering that 2.4 million Utah residents live in a community that does not have enough mental health professionals. That’s a startling 67% of the entire population. What’s the reason for the lack of resources? Utah Rural Health reports that this shortage is due to excess demand from those who rank high in mental illness and suicidality, limited training capacity, rural access issues, and systemic barriers such as a lack of funding and lack of insurance coverage, leading to designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) that far exceed those of most other U.S. states. All of this contributes to clinician burnout and higher rates of turnover, which further strains supply. In response, Kindbridge Behavioral Health has stepped in. We have opened our virtual doors to the “Beehive State”. Counselors are on standby right now to provide help.

Using Technology to Overcome Tech Addictions

A new threat to public health has infiltrated Utah over the last decade. Problematic behavior regarding engagement with web-enabled activities (including those banned by Utah law) has compromised the wellbeing of vulnerable residents. These issues include the following:

• Problematic online gambling behavior: National studies suggest that up to 7% of adults meet the criteria for problematic gambling behavior. Despite casino gaming and sports betting being illegal in the state, there is significant rise in Google and ChatGPT search for problem gambling help in Utah. Search data confirms that there is strong growth in online search for “stop gambling online”, “gamblers counseling”, “quitting gambling”, and semantically related search expressions.
• Problematic use of pornography: Recent data shows that Utah ranks 1st among all 50 U.S. states (and DC) in having the largest number of subscriptions to pornography sites, per capita.
• Problematic online trading behavior: National studies suggest that 8% of investors meet the criteria for compulsivity regarding online trading.
• Unhealthy video gaming: Utah news outlets report that about 12% of adolescent males in the state struggle with problem video gaming, while BYU suggests that 10% of resident gamers exhibit problematic gaming behavior.
• Problematic online shopping behavior: National studies suggest that up to 16% of Americans struggle with unhealthy online shopping behavior, equating up to 568,000 Utah residents (if the data holds true).

As a virtual counseling platform, Kindbridge leverages technology to treat all of the above. Counseling specific to each issue are available to any Utah resident with a smartphone, tablet, or laptop (everyone). Click or call to connect right now.

Successfully Treating Cooccurring Issues

A number of mental health concerns are comorbid with technology addictions. Whether you struggle with one or more of these as cooccurring (w/ problem tech use) issues or they are standalone concerns, we will help.

Anxiety	ADHD
Bipolar Disorder	Chronic Anger + Irritability
Depression	OCD
PTSD	Substance Use Disorder