Supporting May Mental Health Month—Winston Shares Internal Mental Health Benefits
April 29, 2025
Over the last few years, Mental Health has been receiving more attention—and rightly so. It’s clear that mental health benefits are here to stay. Let’s review some recent facts as to why Mental Health is in the spotlight:
- The rise of Mental Health Benefits was accelerated during the pandemic. According to a Fortune article, almost 40% of employers expanded Mental Health benefits. In 2024, 62% of employers provided Mental Health support benefits, as reported by USA Today.
- The employee benefits market had to pivot to suit the needs of a varying workforce that included remote and hybrid employees. Many Mental Health benefits that were popular fell out of favor. According to the Wellable 2024 Employee Wellness Industry Trends Report, mindfulness/meditation had a 74% investment rate in 2023, but dropped to 55% in 2024.
- In 2024, even with an increased focus, employee Mental Health appeared to decline. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reported 15% of employees 18-29 rated their Mental Health “somewhat poor.” The World Health Organization estimated depression and anxiety cost the global economy US $1 trillion each year, predominantly from reduced productivity.
At Winston, we believe HR and benefits professionals must remain on top of Mental Health benefits and give employees the benefits they deserve, want, and need. In support of Mental Health Awareness Month, we share some of our internal employee offerings to give our colleagues insight into our resources and keep an open dialogue around employee Mental Health.
Mental Health Tools & Resources/Online/Guides
Our Mental Health Resources Guide is online to help teammates and eligible family members quickly discover the support that best meets their needs. As a testament to our health-first culture, they can find a wide variety of mental health tools and resources, from licensed coaches and therapists to guided meditations, how-to videos, mindfulness exercises, and more to deal with such things as: stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, healthy living, substance abuse, eating disorders, grief and loss, trauma, addiction, and more.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
We promote and provide access to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline). It offers free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. The Lifeline is made up of a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, offering a combination of local care and resources with national standards and best practices. Each call is routed to the Lifeline center closest to your area code that can provide you with local resources.
Lyra Coaching, Therapy, and Work Life Services
Lyra offers confidential care for emotional and mental health—how, when, and where you need it. Whether you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed—or concerned for someone in your family—Lyra can provide support. Lyra members can get up to eight free coaching or therapy sessions per person each year, access to Lyra’s expansive network of 10,000+ diverse providers, and self-help resources available on demand. Access to coaches is based on personal preferences, and you can get support beyond Mental Health.
Health Concierge
Brown & Brown offers employees enhanced Advocacy Services through UnitedHealthcare (UHC). The Health Concierge can help and make it convenient to figure out what services are covered, which resources can best meet your needs, and where you can get answers to your questions. The services come through a UHC Choice Plus medical plan. You can get eight free therapy sessions. You can also explore options for intensive outpatient treatment, participate in a Partial Hospitalization Program, and learn to understand inpatient or residential treatment options.
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Disclaimer: This content is strictly informational and should not be used as specific advice on insurance products, legal, accounting, and/or tax related matters. Insureds should always contact the appropriate licensed professional for their insurance, legal, accounting, or tax needs.
