Locations#SheDisrupts2023 Startup Stories: Bridging Mental Health Accessibility Gap across Indonesia
June 15, 2023
Tenang aims to democratize accessible and affordable mental health services across Indonesia.
Salma Dias Saraswati, the CEO and Co-Founder of Tenang, embarked on her journey as a clinical psychologist with a keen observation. She noticed that many of her clients required mental support beyond her working hours. Furthermore, while working for an online mental health provider, she experienced situations where the platform's capacity was overwhelmed by the high number of clients seeking assistance.
Unfortunately, this scarcity of mental health support is not unique to Salma's experience. According to the WHO Mental Health Atlas, Indonesia faces a concerning ratio of mental health professionals to the national population. As of 2020, there were only three mental health professionals available for every 100,000 people.[1] Moreover, prevalent issues such as stigma towards patients, financial constraints, and limited accessibility for marginalised communities paint a challenging landscape for mental health in the country.
Identifying the gap between the demand for services and the limited number of capable human resources as a social enterprise opportunity, Salma saw the potential for addressing this issue using artificial intelligence (AI). Together with her friends, she developed a mobile and web-based telehealth service called Tenang.
Tenang's Mission and Impact:
Tenang aims to democratise accessible and affordable mental health services across Indonesia. Since its launch in 2022, Tenang has been providing direct counselling through its AI-based chatting service, catering primarily to Gen-Z users. Over time, the app has garnered around 3,000 early users.
Salma's educational background and expertise as a psychologist enabled her to conduct comprehensive research on integrating the right approach into the automated AI system. With the data collected through the direct tele-counselling program, Salma and her team have been able to refine Tenang's AI service, creating a user experience that closely resembles person-to-person conversation, eliminating the 'uncanny' feeling often associated with AI interactions.
Driven by her determination to enhance Tenang's AI service, Salma was motivated by an incident where a user repeatedly called Tenang's call center late at night, seeking a human connection that the AI was unable to provide. Additionally, stories of men hesitating to reach out to mental health professionals due to societal stigma served as a wake-up call for Salma to develop a reliable "safe space" accessible to everyone. She believes that an AI-powered counselling service can provide men with a platform to be vulnerable and express their state of mind more effectively.
With the data collected through the direct telecounseling program, Salma and her team have been able to refine Tenang's AI service, creating a user experience that closely resembles person-to-person conversation, eliminating the 'uncanny' feeling often associated with AI interactions.
Tenang's Journey with SheDisrupts Indonesia:
During the early stages of Tenang's development, Salma questioned her capacity as a person with no prior experience in building tech startups. The challenges of accelerating business development and finding the right market, coupled with being underestimated as a leading woman figure in the enterprise, led her to join SheDisrupts Indonesia. This venture competition and pre-acceleration program was launched by Creatella Impact, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Moonshot Ventures, UN Women, Monks Hill Ventures and UNDP through ASSIST JP supported by Joint SDG Fund.
Participating in SheDisrupts Indonesia inspired Salma through the supportive community of women-led enterprises. The program's workshops empowered Tenang to identify their target market and receive valuable product feedback. Moreover, SheDisrupts helped Tenang in measuring and managing their impact, particularly in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"We can approach our business in a more impactful way, target the SDGs, and connect with like-minded individuals who have deeper experiences in the industry. This has helped us scale up our contributions to a larger scope of communities," stated Salma.
Contributing to the SDGs:
Tenang's enterprise aligns with two specific SDGs. By democratizing access to mental health support, they contribute to the improvement of life quality and overall well-being, which is at the core of SDG 3. Simultaneously, by ensuring that their platform provides a safe space for both men and women to regulate their psychological state, Tenang empowers both genders to thrive through equal access to mental healthcare.
Tenang, driven by Salma's vision and empowered by AI, is revolutionizing mental health services in Indonesia. By bridging the gap between the demand for support and the scarcity of mental health professionals, Tenang aims to improve the overall well-being of individuals and communities. Through their participation in SheDisrupts Indonesia, Tenang has discovered the power of collaboration, measurement, and the importance of targeting the SDGs. As they continue to expand their reach and scale up their impact, Tenang is poised to become the leading telehealth provider in Indonesia, offering AI-powered mental health support that transcends borders.
Tenang’s service is accessible through mobile application and web (www.tenangaja.co.id)
Written by Fathi Arsadipura and Adzraa Shaffa Andira (Innovative Financing Lab, UNDP Indonesia)
Edited by Enggi Dewanti
