As employee resiliency becomes top focus for 2021, digital health platform eQuoo offers organisations a gamified approach to building emotional fitness in the workplace

Clinically proven emotional fitness app eQuoo is now available as a business solution, to help teach employees critical skills to improve resilience and boost mental health

London — 13 January, 2021 — Emotional resiliency can be taught — and organisations are increasingly recognizing in today’s fraught climate that it is a vital skill for the wellbeing of employees and the organisation as a whole. With the launch of the next generation of its clinically validated emotional fitness app, eQuoo is now offering businesses an unconventional yet proven approach to building employee resilience in the form of a gamified mobile app. At a time when one in three adults between 18-34 are struggling with mental health issues, eQuoo can help young employees entering the workforce to build the mental and emotional skills they need to perform at their best.

eQuoo uses gaming, psychology and AI to harness the brain’s reward system to keep people motivated to learn the critical skills they need to be able to process emotional and mental stressors in a healthy way. It is recognized as one of only two percent of mental health prevention and early intervention apps that are evidence-based, and along with a top rating at ORCHA, eQuoo is the only game that has been accepted into the NHS App Library.

Originally introduced as a consumer application, eQuoo now features 52 levels of play to keep people motivated to learn the critical skills to improve resilience and mental health over the course of a year. The pivot to also offer a business solution is in response to a gap in employer-provided mental health solutions — particularly clinically proven preventative care targeted to vulnerable younger employees.

“The stronger the employee, the stronger the company. There’s a new opportunity for employers to focus on preventative care — arming employees with the skills that will make them more resilient and able to cope in the face of increasing stress and pressure,” Silja Litvin, Psychologist, CEO and Founder behind eQuoo. “Where access to coaching like this has typically only been available in the form of c-suite retreats, eQuoo makes it possible for organizations to invest in the wellbeing of all of their talent — with a clinically validated solution proven to work.”

eQuoo’s clinical validation offers an ROI for organizations that few mental health resources can demonstrate:

Of course, eQuoo is first and foremost a consumer solution, and the next generation of the game offers much for the individual player.

Featuring an engaging story created by Marvel and DC Comics writer Arie Kaplan and 52 levels of play, the next generation of eQuoo builds on elements of gamification and psychotherapy to teach young adults psychological skills over the course of a year.

With this next iteration eQuoo introduces the world of “Lore,” a compelling story engine that keeps the story going and connected. Players are engaged from day one as they are invited to create an avatar and set on a path of light for themselves and for others. While the message may seem fantastical, Litvin believes it is a fitting metaphor for the current emotional landscape.

“There’s a real sense of doom and dread young people are experiencing right now — from climate change to the pandemic and civil unrest to the economy, there is a feeling of darkness that we show in the game,” says Litvin. “We create a safe place to acknowledge that feeling and show people how they can bring back that light by working on themselves.”

eQuoo's 70% completion rate of the trial proves that a gamified approach to app design reduces attrition, and the new storyline includes 10 chapters with cliff-hangers between stages to pull people back into the game. However, players can only unlock each level one week at a time — a failsafe that prevents player binging and ensures efficacy. Psychological change happens in between therapeutic sessions, so the week-by-week spacing gives people time to process and practice learnings.

PsycApps, the Digital Mental Health company behind eQuoo, is also making a step in a much-needed direction with regards to transparency and privacy. eQuoo has no third-party support from companies such as Facebook and Google. PsycApps also leads the way with HIPAA certification and GDPR compliance so eQuoo players can rest assured that their data is safe and secure, and their well-being is front of mind.

PsycApps is a Digital Mental Health company that is using gamification, apps and AI to treat mental illness. PsycApps is developing a way to get people suffering from mental illnesses to stick to digital therapy. Using evidence-based features and gamification to keep people motivated is fundamental to eQuoo, PsycApps emotional fitness game. eQuoo has achieved a top rating at ORCHA, the leading health app assessment platform and is the only game live in the NHS’s App Library. It is also available through the GP EMIS data bank, meaning that doctors can now refer their patients to eQuoo to improve their mental health and wellbeing.