Gudmundur Ebenezer: What drives us at Lifekeys?

Like all too many of us, my father experienced mental illness. Sadly, his was allowed to worsen and by age 7, I’d completely lost him from my life.

Though we might not admit it, conditions like depression and anxiety are increasingly becoming an everyday feature of the modern world. Today, half of us will experience some form of mental illness. But the stigma that remains around it means even now, only one in four people with depressive symptoms will actually seek help. For those of us with anxiety, that figure is nearly one in eight. That’s something I want to change. 

I often wonder, how things might have been different if my father had received the help he needed in time? Would he have gotten better? How would things have turned out? Maybe I wouldn’t be working as a psychologist. It’s precisely because of what I went through that I can understand the importance of good mental health for people's lives and families. As psychologists, we can be a force for real, positive change in people’s lives. It can be some of the most uplifting work in the world. I still take on clients regularly for that very reason, but for me, the biggest change came when I realised that, by founding a company, I could do the same for even more people and in a smarter and more efficient way.

Around 2016 I began thinking about ways that digital solutions could help the mental health sector innovate how it provides care. More specifically, with the level of need increasing rapidly, how it could be done differently, earlier and more effectively, and for more people. The rise of mental illness and issues has been labelled a crisis or an epidemic, and we need new solutions to help deal with it. 

Lifekeys is our way of doing just this. By offering you online consultations with properly trained, qualified psychologists we can broaden access to high-quality mental health services to people from anywhere in the world, to anywhere in the world. Most importantly, we can help you at that special time in your life when you need it the most.  Quality driven psychological help is key and the best way to help those in need. For this reason, we want to have a focus on quality at all layers of our organisation.

Everyone at Lifekeys, whether senior staff or the newest intern, has a great passion for mental health issues; many of us have our own personal stories. This collective experience makes us stronger and more dedicated to fostering our vision for the industry. We have a mantra in the company that we want to change how we address mental health issues, one client at the time. Similarly, life problems can be as complex as individuals themselves. Knowing where to find the best possible help and choosing a psychologist should not be complicated. 

We know that for many common conditions, online psychotherapy can be as effective as traditional services. The problem is that so much of the provision that's out there right now is focused on treatment, not prevention. That means months of appointments, referrals, waiting lists and a one-size-fits-all mentality. And that’s assuming you even reach the threshold for treatment. 

Lifekeys’s approach to the crisis of mental health is preventative, not just curative. By updating the format of psychotherapy, we can offer flexible, tailored solutions that suit anyone. Not only that, but we can ensure that someone is seen by a qualified, professional psychologist with 48 hours of signing up. 

These two things alone are something I’m genuinely proud to be able to say. 

But it doesn’t end there, from an industry standpoint this gives us real opportunities to improve the level of care, not just the speed of it. 

We recognize the importance of research to complement what we are doing and we have been fortunate to be active in research with universities and established researchers. 

What this ultimately means is that it’s easier to get feedback, easier to evaluate what we’re doing, easier for the psychologists to plan their appointments, and easier to manage the patient carer-relationship. You can even choose which psychologist you have and keep them throughout your treatment.

But most importantly, it's easier for you to get the best help you can have. 

Are you considering talking to a psychologist?

Based in Norway, Lifekeys is a leader in digital psychology services and conducts online conversations over video and telephone. Consultations are conducted seven days a week, between 08.00-21.00. All psychologists at Lifekeys are officially certified and have different areas of expertise. Lifekeys ensures that you can quickly and easily choose the psychologist and the time that suits you. 

Only very few psychologists are offered to work with Lifekeys and we continuously monitor performance and offer training opportunities. 

By having a conversation with the psychologist over video or phone, you spend your appointment where you feel most comfortable. Flexible times, skilled psychologists, and user-friendly technology make consultations a great experience for clients.