

A Startup That Wants to Cure Social Anxiety - mxhold
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/05/the-startup-that-wants-to-end-social-anxiety/392900/?single_page=true

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xirdstl
I thought it odd to require a 30 minute call with a coach as the first step.
Wouldn't that discourage potential users, who might be anxious about a phone
call with a stranger to discuss these very personal issues?

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stevemarks
Joyable co-founder Steve Marks here. Great question. We don't actually require
the call -- it's optional. Our clients who do complete the call often cite it
as one of the most important parts of the program, but we have successful
clients who opt out as well.

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xirdstl
You may want to update your FAQ to reflect that. As of now, it reads as if
it's required. At least, that was my interpretation.

"Can I use Joyable without a coach?

All clients are assigned a coach and have a kick-off call ."

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stevemarks
Great point. Really helpful feedback. We will fix that.

We used to require calls (despite the irony of kicking off a social anxiety
program with a call) because of how instrumental our early clients told us
calls were. We have since learned that although many clients find the call key
to their success, others can be successful without a call.

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mxhold
The app is Joyable: [https://joyable.com/](https://joyable.com/)

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dholowiski
And it's $99 a month.

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jmhain
And it requires a credit card for a trial. What a load of bullshit.

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felixvolny
Try the "Take the Quiz" button on the front page. After you make it through 15
questions an email field pops up. No email - no results.

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kevinskii
_In the U.K., there is a version of online CBT for depression called Beating
the Blues, which became popular despite only being available by prescription.
“They would write you out a prescription with a web address and access code,
and you’d be able to access that...”_

Is there any clinical reason for doing such a thing?

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formulaT
I'm not sure what you mean by "clinical" in this context, but I don't think
the prescription thing was a charade to add some extra placebo effect. Rather,
it was probably because once you start claiming to treat depression, you are
regulated like a prescription drug.

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kevinskii
Sorry, what I meant was: Is there any harm in allowing just anyone to access
the website? I don't understand the need for a prescription restriction.

