Sharpen Digital Therapeutic Interventions for Adolescent Mental Health

Robyn Hussa
2 days ago
7 min read

Updated: 8 minutes ago

Clinical Implementation and Engagement Analysis

A White Paper on Real-World Digital Mental Health

August 20, 2025

Robyn Hussa Farrell, President & CEO, Resiliency Technologies

Tim Farrell, COO, Resiliency Technologies

Abstract

This white paper presents findings from two pilot implementations of Resiliency Technologies’ digital therapeutic (DTX) mental health platform across adolescent populations during July-August 2025. Analysis of 561 total participants demonstrates significant potential for DTX platforms to bridge critical gaps in adolescent mental health care delivery, with engagement rates of 59.4% in clinical populations and 94.4% completion in structured screening environments. The research provides evidence-based insights for healthcare organizations considering digital therapeutic integration and establishes benchmarks for measuring DTX effectiveness in diverse adolescent populations.

1. Introduction

The adolescent mental health crisis has reached unprecedented levels (AAP, 2021), with up to 20% of adolescents experiencing mental health disorders while facing significant barriers to care access, including long waitlists and resource constraints (Sappenfield et al, 2024). Digital therapeutic (DTX) platforms represent a promising solution to bridge these care gaps (Alagarajah et al, 2024), offering evidence-based interventions that can be deployed at scale (Liverpool et al, 2025; Linardon et al, 2019) while maintaining clinical efficacy (Chen et al, 2024).

This white paper presents a comprehensive analysis of two real-world implementations of a digital therapeutic mental health platform, examining both clinical care integration and preventive screening applications across 537 participants.

Research Objectives

We wanted to evaluate real-world DTX effectiveness and user engagement patterns, identify implementation success factors to establish engagement benchmarks for measuring DTX effectiveness and provide actionable insights for value-based healthcare providers considering DTX integration.

2. Study Overview and Methodology

Sharpen® Digital Therapeutic (Sharpen DTX) Platform

Sharpen DTX, is a multi-component digital therapeutic and care management platform that supports clinician-directed behavioral health interventions for children and adolescents ages 10 and up. The system integrates seamlessly within EHR software as a SMART-on-FHIR clinical application. Every intervention consists of modules, CBT activities, downloadables and crisis response information. The system can also operate outside of EHR with a stand-alone clinician dashboard. Patients are able to manage activity through a dashboard containing various components for additional engagement informed through Sharpen’s AI recommendation engine.

Study 1: Clinical Waitlist Management

Child and adolescent patients awaiting pediatric eating disorder treatment (n=37) were prescribed interventions through EHR-integrated Sharpen DTX. In some cases clinicians prescribed one intervention, and on multiple occasions, the patients were prescribed several interventions, including: eating disorder, depression/anxiety, dietetics and resiliency. The patients in this pilot do not have access to a dashboard of any kind. They only received the interventions via SMS and/or email. The pilot began July 1, 2025 and has since expanded to other levels of care, including: inpatient, partial-hospitalization, outpatient and intensive outpatient.

Clinical Waitlist Management Results

Engagement:

Total Patients Assigned: 37
Active Engagement Rate: 59.4% (22 of 37 patients)
Total Platform Visits: 148 sessions
Average Session Duration: 6 minutes
Cumulative Usage Time: 133.5 minutes across all participants

Age-Specific Patterns:

Ages 14-17: Highest engagement (87% of total platform time)

Most Accessed Modules:

Body image and self-acceptance (29.5 minutes - longest time in one session)
Eating disorder psycho-education through peer stories (17 minutes - in one session)
Stories of strength (6 minutes)
CBT/Cognitive restructuring (4 minutes)

Return Engagement:

37.5% of users returned to modules after completion

Study 2: Preventive Mental Health Screening and Intervention

522 Division 1 college athletes at a large public university athletic program were required to complete a computer adaptive mental health screening (CAT-MH) as part of orientation held July 29 and August 11, 2025. Health workers and clinicians deployed the screening to students via Sharpen DTX stand-alone clinician portal. Immediately after the student completed the CAT-MH, they were assigned an intervention (“Sharpen Athlete”) containing mental health literacy, stigma reduction and relevant athlete programming. This group has immediate access to a dashboard containing other modules and engagement components.

Preventive Mental Health Screening and Immediate Digital Intervention

Participation Metrics:

Total Athletes Screened: 493 (94.4% participation rate)
Average Assessment Duration: 7.8 minutes
Technical Completion Rate: 97.3%
Total Platform Visits: 1592

Most Accessed Modules:

Optimizing Energy (31 minutes - longest time spent in one session)
- Optimizing Energy has been accessed by 46 different students and for more than 309 minutes
Ways to Improve Emotional Wellness (27.5 - longest single session)
Talking About Mental Health (22.5 - longest single session)
Overcoming Loneliness (16.5 minutes in one session)
Athlete Mental Health (9.5 minutes)

Crisis Intervention:

High-Risk Identification: 22 athletes (4.4%) flagged for enhanced support
Suicide Risk Indicators: 8 athletes (1.6%) triggered immediate protocols
Crisis Intervention Success: 100% of high-risk cases successfully managed
Sharpen Digital Safety Plans Deployed: Clinicians co-created and deployed safety plans to 50% (n=4) of the athletes presenting with suicide risk.

Intervention Engagement:

Initial Module Access: 100% received first module of Sharpen Athlete “Talking About Mental Health” intervention after completing CAT-MH

3. Clinical Implications and Future Research

In this study, clinical Impact and safety risk management was shown through the successful identification and management of 30 high-risk individuals, including effective coordination with existing crisis response protocols.

These studies had the absence of randomized controlled comparison groups. Going forward, we seek funding and partnerships to measure sustained clinical impact and behavior change through RCT clinical trials and have begun discussions with FDA. We also intend to complete a comprehensive economic evaluation of DTX vs. traditional care.

4. Value-Based Care Evidence and Payor Metrics

Ultimately the goal for Sharpen DTX is to leverage value-based care contracts. To that end, we asked clinicians at both sites to complete a pilot survey (n=4). The survey focused on key areas outlined below.

4.1 Overall Findings

Clinical Outcomes:

100% of providers surveyed reported DTX assisted with suicide risk assessment and safety planning
75% reported improved patient engagement with specific CBT components
75% observed patient engagement and symptom improvement

Care Coordination:

100% of providers reported EHR integration encouraged immediate intervention deployment after screening
75% reported dashboard metrics improved patient connectivity
75% found Sharpen digital suicide safety plans effective for crisis intervention

Platform Usability:

100% rated platform as easy to use
100% reported improved clinical efficiencies
100% found clinical interventions easy to deploy to patients
100% rated onboarding process as simple

4.2 Collaborative Care Enhancement

Provider Satisfaction with Collaborative Care:

100% agreed DTX enhanced collaborative care
Net Promoter Score: 100 (all 4 providers rated 9-10 likelihood to recommend)

Key Collaborative Care Features:

50% identified EHR integration as a favorite feature
75% valued deploying interventions to waitlisted patients
75% appreciated patient support between appointments
50% highlighted quality of patient-facing content

Patient Engagement Enhancement:

75% of providers agreed DTX helped them engage more deeply with patients

4.3 Short-Term Evidence of Intervention Effectiveness

Immediate Measurable Outcomes:

100% successful crisis intervention for 30 identified high-risk individuals
- included immediate triage by licensed psychotherapist
- deploying Sharpen digital suicide safety plans (50% of patients)
- 3 day protective factor campaign (50% of patients)

4.4 Provider Confidence and Competency Metrics

Clinical Practice Enhancement:

Provider-reported increased comfort with suicide risk evaluation
Ability to provide immediate therapeutic support during patient distress
Enhanced capacity to monitor multiple patients simultaneously
Increased utilization of standardized therapeutic protocols

Measurable Provider Outcomes:

Ability to manage larger patient populations effectively
Faster identification of appropriate treatment intensity levels
Enhanced skills in digital therapeutic integration

4.5 Short-Term Healthcare Cost Reduction Evidence / Cost Avoidance

Crisis Intervention Cost Savings:

Zero ED visits for mental health crises during study periods
No psychiatric hospitalizations among high-risk participants

Clinical Efficiency Cost Reductions:

85% reduction in clinical time for mental health assessment
Ability to serve larger patient populations with same staffing

Treatment Optimization Benefits:

Early intervention preventing progression to higher-acuity services

5. Conclusions

Digital therapeutic platforms demonstrate significant potential for addressing critical gaps in adolescent mental health care delivery. We found high engagement rates across diverse implementation models (59.4% voluntary with no dashboard, 100% mandatory initial participation with dashboard) and successful crisis prevention and early intervention capabilities.

Resiliency Technologies focuses on population-specific content which has shown crucial for sustained engagement. Our brief, modular intervention design (7-10 minutes) aligns with user attention spans. We also found that seamless technology integration is essential for provider and institutional adoption.

The evidence presented supports broader adoption of DTX platforms within adolescent education and mental health care systems, with particular emphasis on mid-adolescent populations and implementation models that leverage existing clinical relationships and institutional infrastructure.

References

Alagarajah, J., Ceccolini, D., & Butler, S. (2024). Digital mental health interventions for treating mental disorders in young people based in low-and middle-income countries: A systematic review of the literature. Global mental health (Cambridge, England), 11, e74. https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2024.71

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2021). AAP-AACAP-CHA declaration of a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. Pediatrics, 148(5), e2021054571.

Lehtimaki, S., Martic, J., Wahl, B., Foster, K. T., & Schwalbe, N. (2021). Evidence on digital mental health interventions for adolescents and young people: Systematic overview. JMIR Mental Health, 8(4), e25847.

Liverpool, S., Mc Donagh, C., Feather, J. et al. Updates on digital mental health interventions for children and young people: systematic overview of reviews. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-025-02722-9

Chen, T., Ou, J., Li, G., Luo, H. (2024). Promoting mental health in children and adolescents through digital technology: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1356554.

Linardon, J., Cuijpers, P., Carlbring, P., Messer, M., & Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M. (2019). The efficacy of app-supported smartphone interventions for mental health problems: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 18(3), 325–336. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20673

National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Mental health information: Statistics. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness

Sappenfield, O., Alberto, C., Minnaert, J., Donney, J., Lebrun-Harris, L., & Ghandour, R. (2024). Adolescent Mental and Behavioral Health, 2023. In National Survey of Children’s Health Data Briefs. (pp. 1–3). Health Resources and Services Administration.

Williamson, C., McLennan, L., & Robertson, C. (2024). Digital mental health interventions for adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26(1), e51376.

World Health Organization. (2024). Mental health of adolescents. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health

This white paper is based on de-identified pilot study data collected between July 1, 2025 and August 20, 2025 across clinical and preventive care settings. All institutional identifiers have been removed to protect participant and organizational privacy.