REAL, ARIELA SAFIRA: The New Way to Therapy
Mental healthcare may be synonymous with self-care in certain circles, but the truth is only a small percentage of the US population actually goes to therapy. Affordability is a huge issue - for over 40% of the population, high cost and poor insurance coverage is the top barrier for accessing mental health services. It’s also difficult to even get into the room, with waits of weeks or more for those seeking treatment for the first time. Ariela Safira, the founder of Real, is working to expand access to mental healthcare and provide an alternative to the traditional and sometimes flawed system.
Ariela Safira has dedicated her entire life to understanding the state of mental healthcare today and is bringing her thoughtful approach to an entirely new model for therapy. We talked to Ariela about her company and the experiences that helped her look at the entire system through a new lens.
The Childhood
Ariela Safira is a hustler from New Jersey, where she was raised by parents of two different ethnicities and cultures (Yemeni Jewish and Polish Catholic). She tells us her parents’ different approaches to life impacted the way she thinks, allowing her to challenge and question why the world works the way it does. Ariela didn’t have explicit entrepreneurial tendencies as a child, but thanks her parents for teaching her how to negotiate at an early age and opening her mind up to the importance of mental health.
“I think mental healthcare is a much bigger part of my upbringing than entrepreneurialism itself,” Ariela said. “My father was raised in a commune, so he loves the world and cares deeply about his friends and his family, and taught me what it means to empathize and care for others. We didn't have the language to use the words therapy or psychiatry, but definitely thought about what it means for someone to be understood vs. not understood.”
Ariela went to undergrad at Stanford, where she studied math and computer science and spent a lot of time in the product design department. When a close friend of hers went through a significant mental health struggle, Ariela was exposed to the mental healthcare system as it is today - severe, institutional inpatient programs and disjointed care, that isn't designed around the patient’s whole wellbeing.
“It was the first time I saw a rehab, the first time I saw what therapy and meds looked like with a mature mindset,” Ariela said. “I didn’t think the system made sense so I pretty much threw myself at it.”
While at Stanford, Ariela participated in a class called Innovation in Mental Health, which she applied to using her initial concept for Real. The instructor, Dr. Nina Vasan, ultimately became Real’s Chief Medical Officer (but more on that later)!
Postgrad, Ariela spent time working at IDEO (founder David Kelly is also the founder of Stanford’s Design School), where she dove into research and innovation studying the mental healthcare system as it relates to design. After interviewing dozens of people who have participated in mental healthcare institutions like providers, architects, administrators, and the patients themselves, Ariela discovered that there is not a lot of thought and logic that goes into the design of mental health facilities. One example she uses is that although doctors instruct nearly every patient in inpatient care to exercise, the institutions themselves will not be set up with exercise equipment.
“There aren't people in the field who are questioning this,” Ariela said. “The majority of the people in the field are clinicians, and it’s not their job to think about how we redesign the system.”
Destined to expand her approach to mental healthcare in some form, Ariela began a graduate degree with Columbia’s Clinical Psychology program to become a therapist. She quickly realized that the traditional path was not for her - she wanted to rethink the entire system rather than join it. Thus, a founder was born. Bada boom.
“While I was at Columbia I saw how problematic the system is from a training perspective. It’s both damaging to the therapist and the end clients. So I dropped out of the program to found Real,” Ariela said.
Ariela dedicated herself to Real full-time in 2019 and brought on Dr. Nina Vasan as CMO (Chief Medical Officer) to oversee and validate the clinical efficacy of all therapeutic programs. Fun fact: Gwyneth Paltrow is also an investor in the company.
The Real Model
“The actual experience of therapy is intimidating - to go to a room with a stranger for 45 minutes and just talk about where you're at. We don't have the language to talk about body image, infidelity. We have to take ten steps back and understand how to talk about our mental health.” - Ariela Safira
Launched in April 2020 at the onset of the COVID Pandemic (what timing - the world needs therapy now more than ever), Real started with a brick-and-mortar studio concept that rapidly pivoted into a completely accessible, digital care model. The initial digital program, Real to the People, was launched in 8 days when the need for online care became obvious. Now the online platform is a full-scale program focused on group therapy, with therapist-led roundtable pathways and dedicated curriculums around specific areas of need.
More importantly. what makes Real’s therapy model unique is its quantitative, achievement-oriented coursework. Members complete various modules and levels of treatment when working through Real’s curriculums, and all of the progress is tracked so improvements can be measured (That’s a first!). Data on upcoming therapy and completion stats are available to members at all times through Real’s website. Also unique about Real’s approach? No wait times, stuffy Midtown office, or uncomfortable couch required.
“At this point, we have an omnichannel approach to care,” Ariela said. “There is a brick-and-mortar studio format, with our first studio in Flatiron in Manhattan, and this digital platform, that truly democratizes care.”
Ariela views success as creating a world where the norm is that everyone takes care of their mental health. She wants access and participation in therapy to be the mainstream, not a luxury or something extra. True to that goal, Real’s memberships cost less than $30 a month and are available in a variety of time commitments.
“We’re targeting the therapy curious. Not those that have already felt comforted by or can afford today's mental healthcare system,” Areila said. “I think the vast majority of people are at a place where they do want to understand themselves more deeply, whether it's because they identify as being clinically depressed or want to better get to know themselves.”
On Building a Team
“You should be hiring people who are here to work on a mission and not on a specific product. I don't remember a time when I had to motivate the team to work on the digital platform.” - Ariela
Ariela tells us it is equally important to find the right people to hire as it is to nurture the team you build. Early hires at Real were a head of experience, a head of marketing, and Taryn Laeben (of other success stories Mirror and Casper) as interim COO, who Ariela now sees as a pseudo-co-founder. Ariela’s approach to hiring - build out a document that lists the companies, in any space, who are setting the bar for success in each area of expertise you need. Once you have a sense of the landscape, start the poach.
“Look at companies that were successful in what you’re looking for, whether it's launching a new partnership targeting a certain demographic,” Ariela said. “All efforts go into recruiting those 8-10 people [who made it happen]. Don't waste time on people who aren't a good fit - find your tier 1 folks and don’t talk to anyone else until you've talked to those people.”
As for how she fits into her team, Ariela sees herself as an endless researcher, always pushing boundaries and asking why.
“Deep curiosity fuels innovation more than confidence,” Ariela said.
The Advice
Ariela has spent her career asking questions about one industry, and now she’s turning it on its head. We asked her advice for those looking to take on traditional systems with a new approach.
Do sleep.
Be open to questioning yourself, and be able to share when you've changed your opinion with new information.
Be mindful of the areas you aren’t strong in. Be open and interested to learn what you don’t know.
Ready to level up from therapy-curious? Check out Real at https://www.join-real.com/.
Photo courtesy of Real.
Written by Kendall Embs.