Marking Mental Health Awareness Month, San Antonio entrepreneurs Lorenzo Gomez III and Steve Cunningham are rolling out WeTree, an interactive mental health app and website designed to help reverse the feeling of isolation many people experience when they tell each other “I’m ok.”
According to a news release, WeTree provides an an online safe space where users may share their feelings and thoughts, and support their loved ones and friends in a brief period of time called the Mental Health Minute. The web app went online May 3, and the mobile app launches on May 16, the release said.
The creators of WeTree said while other apps focus on mindfulness, meditation or helping individuals get counseling or therapy, their new app creates a sense of community among users.
WeTree allows users to check in with each other through a short rating system that measures positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, purpose, accomplishment and health on a daily basis.
Additionally, there is an open-ended questionnaire that asks what the user was grateful for that day and what they could use help with. The user’s chosen support system of other people engaged on WeTree enables the user to see daily ratings and open-ended responses, allowing them a chance to follow up with their “inner circle” when they can see someone else might be in need of support, the app creators said.
Gomez, who made his name being a leader in San Antonio’s start-up scene, said his own mental health journey led him to write a best-selling book, “Tafolla Toro.”
“We all struggle with mental health at some point, but no one wants to go first and say it. We have created a safe place for people to be truly seen by the people they love. So now going first just means clicking a button,” Gomez said.
According to the release, WeTree follows the principles of the Positive Psychology Movement, empowering users to build a support system where they can hand-pick who sees their ratings. The scores and open-ended answers are invisible to anyone outside the user's chosen inner circle, the release said.
“We know that the principles this is based on work, not because we came up with them, but because an army of positive psychologists did. We just wrapped technology around it and are bringing it to everyone in a simple and easy way,” Cunningham said.
Within a month of beta testing the app, WeTree has grown to more than 5,500 subscribers, including Centers for Applied Science and Technology Schools and Trinity University, the release said.
CAST Schools Executive Director Jeanne Russell said her magnet school system is happy to partner with a local company in tackling what she called a vital current issue.
“Our students have been asking for mental health tools, and in response we are starting a focus group to have students use WeTree to get that support,” Russell said.
Luis Martinez, innovation and entrepreneurship director at Trinity University, said caring for one’s mental health should include getting support from other people and giving them similar support.
“Mental health isn’t a solo sport. The community of close friends and family are such an important part of an individual’s mental health. We’re excited to use WeTree to activate and strengthen the community around each of the students in our program,” Martinez said.
The web app can be found at www.getwetree.com. WeTree’s subscription comes in monthly and annual rate packages for individuals or families. WeTree also offers a plan for businesses. The mobile app will be available on the app store for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets starting May 16.
