Our Clinical Diversity Advisory Board fosters conversation and action to make mental health more accessible to marginalized groups. The board’s members come from a variety of backgrounds and have a range of expertise in areas of age, gender, race, sexual orientation and ethnicity. Dr. Jeffrey Cohen (he/him) is one of them, and his teaching, personal practice and research background reflects an interest in LGBTQ issues. As part of Pride Month we’re talking to Dr. Cohen about his work within the LBGTQ community, and how digital mental health can address its very specific needs.

Tell us a bit more about your background.

I’m a clinical psychologist trained in California at institutions including Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto University and University of California, San Francisco. I’ve since traded palm trees for skyscrapers and am currently an Assistant Professor at Columbia University in New York City. I teach students, see patients and conduct research focused on improving mental health treatments or LGBTQ folks.

What drives you in this work?

I’d say two things. The first is about helping people access therapy that actually works. Some therapies are what we call evidence-based, which means that they’re backed by science, and there’s data that shows they actually help with particular problems or clinical diagnoses like anxiety or depression. Not everybody looking for mental health treatment knows that particular treatments can help with particular problems. So one of my passions is to help people access care that can actually help them. 

And what’s the second?

I’m passionate about helping LGBTQ people access these evidence-based treatments like cognitive behavior therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. And just as importantly, once they access them, I want to make sure they’re seen. So if somebody’s coming in with anxiety related to coming out, I want to make sure that the treatment can respond to that particular issue.

Was there something in your personal life that really ignited your passion for this work?

I actually went to a lot of therapists and some of them just sat there and nodded and that wasn’t super helpful. It wasn’t until I found a therapist who taught skills backed by science that I actually found therapy to be helpful. That inspired me to go into this work. And then, when I was in graduate school, I was in a lab that was devoted to using technology to help people access mental health treatment, which peeked my interest in applying innovation to problems.

Why did you join the Clinical Diversity Advisory Board?

Oh, lots of reasons! I’ll give you three main ones. First, digital health exists. I wanted people to know that Woebot exists. I share a good number of threads on social media to try and help people find mental health treatment. And I wanted people to know that AI therapy is a clinically validated option. The second reason is related to disclosure. Not every LGBTQ person is comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation or their gender identity with another person. So as an AI platform, Woebot can be a gateway when it comes to accessing care. And third, LGBTQ content. I joined because I want to help build out the content for those users. 

How can digital therapeutics companies break the status quo and provide better access to care for some of these historically underserved populations?

For the LGBTQ community specifically, I think creating an explicitly affirming and safe space for therapy. Typically folks come out to themselves prior to disclosing to another person. So there’s an intermediary step for those who are questioning or looking for support around their identity. And also remembering that LGBTQ people are more likely to pursue therapy as compared to the general population. Digital platforms create the potential for being proactive and responsive to community issues and developments. They can be lower stakes and a lower monetary buy-in for people who are hesitant or nervous about in-person treatment.