Headspace Care (Ginger‪)‬ 12+

A life support when I was not knowing where to turn

So I found Ginger when my doctor’s office referred me and my insurance said it’s a company they go through for care. It was a little tough for me at first because I really knew nothing about behavioral and mental health but it was eye opening once I started. It’s great to have an actual team, yes an actual team of people working together to focus on helping me improve my health. I can meet with all of them virtually so long as I had access to internet or cell phone signal. I video chat with a therapist to work through what’s causing my health issues , I video chat with psychiatrist about medications I’m using with my treatment and I text-chat with a wellness coach weekly to work through actions, habits and thoughts that help with my care. They all can read the notes the other ones write about my care and can work with me on anything I need help with to improve my health. Also whenever I’ve had a more pressing concern I have the ability to contact member services and they have worked with my care team to get me information or care sooner if I was in between appointments. For what I’m going through and in this time of pandemic Ginger’s convenience and structure has helped pick me up from probably one of the most difficult places I’ve ever been in my life. So I’m just thankful for it.

Developer Response ,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this incredible review! You've summarized the exact experience our team strives to provide for our members. We're delighted that you're loving our collaborative model and that you're receiving the support you deserve. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to reach out to us at Help@ginger.io or chat in with Support services through the Ginger app.

Game Changer

The mere condition of the American health care system (with all of its inefficiencies, bureaucratic loopholes, exorbitant prices, and corporate insensitivity) is enough to give people mental illness. But ginger is such a breath of fresh air that is making some serious steps to provide meaningful care for Americans. This is a system that genuinely thinks about user needs and is using technology to cater to people, not to exploit them. It is so easy to set up, the customer support is amazing, and they’ve really developed good systems to bring consistent support to your care. Not only has it been significantly to book sessions with a therapist (no wait period plus crazy flexibility), there are other elements like coaching and exercises that provide nearly round the clock attention in a sustainable fashion. This is a mental health service that understands the complexities of modern, hectic life and brings the care to you on your terms. Frankly, the sense of control I feel just in my experience of navigating my health has contributed to me feeling more in control of the rest of my life. Plus, my insurance covers 100% of it. I know this sounds like a marketing pitch and I am going off on listing adjectives, but please do not take my passion for insincerity. I am just so grateful for ginger and think this could be a huge help for millennials (and gen z-ers) like me!

Developer Response ,

Wow, thank you for taking the time to write this amazing review! This means so much to us as we strive to deliver the best care. You have described everything we want for a member experience. Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and if there is anything we can do for you, just let us know at Help@ginger.io or chat in with Support Services via the Ginger app. Have a wonderful day!

Hit or miss coaches and inaccessible app

My first coach took forever to text back so over the course of our 40 min initial session, we probably exchanged about 20 texts so it was hard to stay engaged. She was clearly copy pasting her texts from something because of the grammar and typos (e.g., “Ask them how they feel about…”). Then, she pretty much ghosted and was impossible to track down. I needed more support and accountability than “reach out to me when you want to chat.” The second coach has been better because we actually scheduled standing check-ins but it still feels a little gimmicky with more or less boiler plate responses and lack of deep knowledge in psychology. My biggest gripe is that the app isn’t iPad compatible/keyboard compatible. I have a disease that sometimes makes it hard to stare at a screen and type on the phone. Sessions would also go much faster if I could use a keyboard.

PLEASE make the app keyboard accessible!

Also have had many glitches with scheduling and random coaches being added to my team. If they could fix the app and hire more competent people I’d raise my rating.