In Africa, mental health is always misconstrued as a result of inadequate sensitization about the subject. This often leads to the stigmatization of individuals with mental health issues. Hence, many victims stay silent and refuse to get the needed treatment. The cost of therapy is also a major challenge for many people.
Based on a survey carried out by Egypt’s Ministry of Health in 2018, 25 million people, a quarter of the population, were suffering from a range of mental sickness. This shows that people did not have solutions to these mental challenges.
In 2014, an Egyptian software engineer, Abu El Haz, was involved in an accident, which almost took his limbs. When discharged from the hospital, he realized he needed therapy but could not. Hence, the idea of Shezlong came up to him.
The founder and CEO of Shezlong, Ahmed ElHaz, said: “I thought about how I could connect licensed therapists with anybody having mental disorders in a convenient, private, and anonymous way. So, I created a platform in 2015 with only three therapists.”
From Egypt to the world
After so much thought about tackling mental health challenges, he concluded an online solution is a perfect solution to these problems due to stigmatization, contradictions, misconception and religious stance on this theme.
He said, “Online therapy works in solving mental health issues by providing online/video-based therapy to connect licensed and qualified therapists to anyone that has a mental disorder, private and anonymous.”
The Founder of Shezlong, Abu ElHaz, knew that people’s misconceptions about mental illness must be erased if he would solve the problem.
Shezlong, the first mental healthtech solution in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), have more than 300 licensed therapists and adopted by 60 countries, with expats making up 30% of its users.
Getting help anonymously
Abu ElHaz said the platform runs a very secure technology to ensure users’ privacies are protected. There will be an integrated chat interface on the platform in the coming months, which will speed up client-therapist conversations.
Clients have the liberty to access the Shezlong platform through different apps, including the Shezlong App and Shezlong Therapist App, both available on the App Store and Google Play Store.
To sign up on Shezlong it is easier than most fitness/health apps that require many details. Users can quickly sign up on Shezlong by providing the username, phone number, email address and password. Users can even use nicknames to ensure anonymity.
Many therapists of different specializations, including depression, psychotic disorder, anxiety disorder and addiction, are on the platform. Each of these professionals can charge per hour or half an hour used with the client. The price ranges between $20 and $75. Though this varies across locations as a client outside of Egypt pays an average of $30 and in Egypt, can pay $20.
After some iterations, Shezlong has evolved and settled with a relatively affordable revenue model over the years. The founder reveals how this works for individuals and firms.
He said, “We take 30% from each psychotherapy session, and we have another model for corporates. We make corporate deals to provide our awareness programme for their employees.”
Shezlong’s other services
The platform currently boasts 83,000 unique subscribers who either use it on a pay-as-you-go basis or subscribe to the available bundles.
Clients can subscribe to a bundle of 5, 10, 15 or 20 sessions at discounts of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%, respectively. There is no need to pay for the first session on each bundle as it is free.
Clients often have the liberty to choose their therapists. But in some instances, recommendations are made based on a filled 18-questions questionnaire to determine their state.
Abu ElHaz added that the Shezlong would have health insurance among its services soon.
Challenges and plans
The CEO said that the major challenge lies with contracting a technical talent to manage the platform.
In his words, he said: “African talents are seen travelling abroad, so now we are hiring from India; they have available and committed talents. This is our strategy.”
