Clinical & Scientific Validity

Twenty years of evidence.

The Sharpen® platform was built on two decades of Community-Based Participatory Research — 50,000+ stakeholder surveys, 100+ documentary listening sessions, and real-world deployment across diverse clinical settings before a single line of commercial code was written.

30
Clinical studies across multiple populations
25+
Academic & research institution partnerships
57%
Average engagement rate vs. 4–11% industry benchmark
Evidence-Based Framework

15 clinical frameworks.
One platform.

Every Sharpen module incorporates evidence-based components derived from the field's most validated frameworks — not adapted from them, built from them from the ground up.

CBTDBTZero SuicideCAT-MH®Trauma-Informed CareCBPRMental Health LiteracySocial-Ecological ModelSafety PlanningSMART-on-FHIR
Mental Health Literacy

Kutcher et al. (2016) framework improving understanding of mental health, reducing stigma, and increasing help-seeking behaviors across populations.

Suicide Prevention

Zero Suicide framework and HHS safety planning interventions (2024), with integrated CAT-SS computerized adaptive screening and 988 crisis escalation.

CBT & DBT

Cognitive Behavioral and Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques embedded across 700+ therapeutic modules and 4,000+ documentary-style peer videos.

Trauma-Informed Care

Burke Harris et al. (2020) principles addressing protective factors at individual, family, and community levels through the Social-Ecological Model.

Community-Based Research

20 years of CBPR through documentary listening sessions, with 50,000+ post-program surveys and 400+ community-based research surveys informing every module.

Digital Safety Planning

Stanley et al. (2014, 2015) digital safety planning protocols with computerized adaptive testing in mental health (CAT-MH®) and real-time alert systems.

Clinical Research Evidence

Multiple studies.
Diverse populations. Consistent results.

01 · 2025
Clinical Waitlist Management
Prisma Children's Hospital
N=37 pediatric eating disorder patients · Pilot implementation · Cosgrove et al., 2025

Clinician-prescribed platform interventions delivered via Epic integration. Director of Adolescent Medicine subsequently expanded implementation across inpatient, partial hospitalization, outpatient, and intensive outpatient levels of care.

59.4%Voluntary engagement rate vs. 4–11% industry benchmark
PediatricEHR-IntegratedEating Disorders
02 · 2023–2025
Athlete Mental Health & Suicide Prevention
Division I Athletics
N=1,275 college athletes · 3-year longitudinal · Whelan et al., 2024; Davis et al., 2026

Universal CAT-MH® screening with real-time clinical triage via Sharpen dashboard. 126 athletes (9.9%) flagged for elevated suicide risk across three years. 100% received same-day intervention — a rate impossible through traditional clinical workflows.

100%Same-day clinical intervention for all flagged athletes
College AthletesSuicide PreventionCAT-MH®
03 · 2024–2025
Medical Student Mental Health Literacy
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
N=54 medical students · Pre-post evaluation · Fadel et al., 2024; Magalhaes et al., 2025

Self-guided 5-hour SMHL course addressing a population where depression (28%), anxiety (33.8%), burnout (44.2%), and suicidal ideation (11.1%) substantially exceed general population rates.

>1.0Effect size on mental health literacy (12.8-point improvement, p<0.0001)
Medical EducationSMHLStigma Reduction
04 · 2022–2025
Healthcare Provider Suicide Prevention Training
Social workers, nurses, case managers, MH professionals · Rios et al., 2024

Customized Sharpen professional development app with 9 evidence-based suicide prevention courses. Low provider confidence was completely eliminated following training. 200+ certifications issued to licensed clinicians and healthcare workers.

97%Rated training as good use of time; 95% would recommend to others
ProvidersProfessional DevNBCC Accredited
05 · 2020–2025
VNS Health Safe Pathways Suicide Prevention
New York City
5-year longitudinal · High-risk urban youth & families · NY OMH funded · Year 3 Eval, 2025

Multi-component program integrating professional development, parent mental health literacy, and youth peer resiliency (ages 10–25). Five-year longitudinal evidence of sustainable implementation for populations with complex psychosocial stressors.

>85%Client and family satisfaction; TFA implementation fidelity 3.04/4.0
CommunityYouth & FamilyState-Funded
06 · 2022–2025
Foster Parent Mental Health Literacy
SC Foster Parent Association
N=334 completers · 3-year IRB-approved longitudinal · Hussa Farrell, Farrell & Biber, forthcoming

First empirical evidence of statistically significant improvements in both resilience and self-compassion among foster parents following a digital mental health literacy intervention. 83.33% completion rate substantially exceeds digital intervention benchmarks. SC DSS certified.

p<.001Resilience (Cohen's d=0.267) and self-compassion (Cohen's d=0.242) gains
Foster CareFamily SystemsIRB Approved
07 · 2023–2024
College Female Peer Mentoring Program
N=16 psychology students · Pilot qualitative evaluation · Biber & Rothman, 2024

Sharpen platform trained non-clinical peer mentors to provide evidence-based support within appropriate professional boundaries, demonstrating scalability of the platform beyond licensed clinical providers to community-level peer support roles.

85%Reported feeling significantly more prepared for difficult mental health conversations
CollegePeer MentoringScalability
08 · 2020–2025
College Mental Health Literacy
University of West Georgia
N=29 students · Mixed-methods semester-long evaluation · Levy et al., forthcoming 2026

SMHL course embedded in undergraduate health science curriculum over 16 weeks. Campus-specific video content featuring students, coaches, faculty, and counselors. Pending publication in Journal of American College Health.

98%Mean completion rate across all quizzes and final exam; 94% avg grade
UndergraduateCurriculumStigma Reduction
09 · 2019–2026
Seamless Multi-Level Prevention Logic Model Validation
N=11,548+ users · Cross-toolkit synthesis · Hussa Farrell, 2026

Multi-year retrospective analysis validating the Sharpen System's social-ecological logic model across primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention — within a single user experience. 7,551+ documented transitions from education engagement to crisis resource activation.

339K+Total engagements at 5–14× industry benchmark engagement rates
Platform-WidePrevention ModelLogic Model
Engagement Benchmarks

Why engagement matters
in digital therapeutics.

A digital therapeutic that nobody uses is just software. Industry attrition rates for digital mental health interventions run 89–96%. Sharpen's engagement rates across every population studied are categorically different.

Engagement Rate Comparison
Sharpen (Platform Average)57%
Prisma Health Pilot (2025)59%
Division I Athletes (2025)83%
Industry Benchmark (digital mental health)4–11%
4,500+
Hours of user engagement across all implementations
7,600+
Documented transitions from education to crisis resource activation
10–44 min
Average session duration vs. 3–5 min industry standard
96%
Of users report the platform is effective; 96% would recommend
Research Collaboration Network

Built with the institutions
that set the standard.

Clinical Research
Stanford Children's Hospital / Stanford University School of Medicine
Clinical Research
UC San Francisco (UCSF)
AI Development
UC Berkeley Center for Data Science and Society
Public Health
Emory University / Rollins School of Public Health
Clinical Deployment
Prisma Health Children's Hospital
State Agency
New York State Office of Mental Health
Medical Education
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Public Health
San Diego State University School of Public Health
Social Services
South Carolina Department of Social Services
Validation
University of Washington SMART Center
Public Health
Georgia Health Policy Center
Clinical Research
Medical University of South Carolina
Selected Publications & White Papers

The evidence, cited.

2026Davis A., Cosgrove V., Gibbons R., et al. Integrated Clinical Triage Platform for Athlete Mental Health and Suicide Prevention: Real-Time Decision Support Enabling 100% Same-Day Intervention Across 1,275 Student-Athletes. Resiliency Technologies.White Paper
2025Cosgrove V., Hussa Farrell R., & Farrell T. Sharpen digital therapeutic interventions for adolescent mental health. Sharpen.White Paper
2024Fadel N., Stoner A., Berreta K., et al. A process evaluation of a mobile app for medical students aimed at increasing resilience and decreasing stigma in mental health. Cureus, 16(6), e63054.Cureus
2024Biber D. & Rothman E. Qualitative evaluation of mental health literacy training for college females: Implications for peer mentoring programs. Journal of College Student Development, 64(1), 104–110.JCSD
2024Minkel J., Pish M., Hussa Farrell R. Sharpen® Platform Engagement & Activation. Resiliency Technologies.White Paper
2023Biber D. The impact of an mHealth mental health literacy training for foster parents. Trends in Psychology.Trends in Psychology
2026*Levy J., Hussa Farrell R., Farrell T., et al. A program evaluation of the Sharpen Mental Health Literacy college course at a southeastern university. Journal of American College Health. *Forthcoming.JACH · Forthcoming
2017Anderson C.N., Holody K.J., Flynn M.A., & Hussa-Farrell R. An exploratory evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of the mental fitness disordered eating program in schools. Eating Disorders, 25(3), 230–245.Eating Disorders
Partner with Us

Interested in the clinical data
or research collaboration?

We actively partner with academic medical centers, research institutions, and health systems. Download the full Clinical Brief or contact our research team directly.