It’s no secret that mental health issues carry a stigma in South Korea, and many people often don’t get the help they need out of fear of being judged or labeled as unstable. Startup Humart launched online its counselling service Trost in 2016 with the aim of changing perceptions about receiving psychiatric help.
While the number of people with mental health issues such as depression continues to grow, concerns about anonymity and having to meet someone in person means therapists and counselors haven’t seen a major increase in patient numbers.
Trost wants to help anyone with mental issues get past these barriers by offering affordable anonymous counselling that can be done from anywhere. The service specializes in a wide range of issues including depression, marriage problems and social anxiety.
With little competition, over 50,000 people have already used Trost, and Humart announced today that it had received 500 million won (USD $431k) in funding from K Cube Ventures. Going forward, the startup is already developing a new ‘mood analysis solution’ using collected data that will recommend councilors and programs, as well as other new features including psychological condition tests.
The company is also expanding into the B2B market by offering its services to businesses as part of online EAPs (Employee Assistance Program) which are sometimes inadequate due to budget restraints.
“Psychological counselling isn’t just for serious mental health issues, but also a process in which anyone can receive professional help for different types of problems relating to everyday life and solve them together,” said Humart CEO Kim Dong-hyun. “Through Trost, our goal is to create a society where counselling is popular, as it is in the US and Europe.”
