In conversation with clare laurent

The idea of ‘democratiSing therapy’ is such a powerful idea and a much-needed mission in the world today, that I couldn't wait to speak with Clare Laurent – one of the founders of SHRINK. It’s an app that literally ‘puts therapy in your pocket’. 

Clare started life as a corporate lawyer and was, amongst other tech companies, General Counsel for AOL. She jumped ship from corporate life when she had a family at 38 yrs old and in 2008 began a journey into psychotherapy doing a Masters in Organisational Psychology specialising in Women’s Careers and a PHD in Mentoring. 

We chatted about the themes we find women our age can most often struggle with and can affect their wellbeing and mental health such as: what does the next phase of life look like, fear of giving up a long-term job, finding purpose and fulfilment after the children have left home, becoming invisible, isolation, building confidence and financial security. And we agree how important it is to have good friends, family, community or a trusted sounding board to share and discuss these aspects of their life with. 

it all started when…

It is so clear that there is a need for more accessible therapy in our society. Much of the therapy people might seek is too expensive and little opportunity for therapy provided via the NHS. And the idea of going and talking to someone about one’s deepest emotions or fears can be off putting for a lot of people. According to Clare, men can be particularly wary of therapy. 

For young people, something like this app also feels like a great way to access some useful tools to support their wellbeing and they may find the platform much more accessible than traditional therapy. 

The SHRINK APP is built around 3 themes; Relationships, Decisions, Knowing Yourself and currently provides some simple exercises and practices against some basic information that you input and helps you track your progress. Later on, Clare and team will offer in be in person therapy which will be short and affordable sessions available to support individual needs and progress.  Group therapy

It is free right now, so it is definitely worth taking a look…