“Easy and affordable access to mental health care has become increasingly important as we all continue to navigate different everyday challenges,” said Beth Galetti, Amazon senior vice president of People eXperience and Technology. “Providing access to—and awareness around—mental health care is a critical responsibility for employers. This new offering will help us remove barriers and unnecessary stigma around getting help, to ensure our employees and their families feel safe and supported.”

According to the nonprofit Mental Health America, more than 26 million adults went untreated for mental health concerns in the U.S. in 2020. And a recent survey by the American Psychological Association showed that 48% of parents have more stress in their personal lives now than before the COVID-19 pandemic started.

“It is critically important that employers like Amazon evaluate and expand their programs and put a more significant focus on the mental health and mental well-being of their employees, especially as we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic and begin to re-enter the workplace,” said Daniel H. Gillison Jr., CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “Employers bear a responsibility to ensure access to and provide adequate mental health services to their employees. It is good for their workers and it is good for business.”

Through the new Resources for Living program, Amazon employees, their families, and anyone living in their homes have access to several resources:

• Free one-on-one counseling sessions—three sessions per person, per topic. Amazon will fund up to 24 million counseling sessions per year for its U.S. employees.
• Flexible options including in-person, phone, video, or text conversations for counseling sessions.
• Interactive self-care programs, including self-assessments, and a stress resource center.
• Crisis and suicide-prevention support and access to a licensed mental health clinician any time of day.
• Access to a self-paced app that offers computerized Cognitive Behavior Therapy, mindfulness resources, and personalized support for a broad range of mental health and wellness issues.