CureApp and HIKARI LAB have began offering the “ascureSPARX Mental Health Program”: A doctor developed application based on cognitive behavior therapy and online counseling.

CureApp and HIKARI LAB have began offering the “ascureSPARX Mental Health Program”: A doctor developed application based on cognitive behavior therapy and online counseling.  

CureApp Co., Ltd. (head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Kouta Satake) 

which deals with the research and development of “Treatment Applications” as medical 

devices in treatment programs, together with HIKARI LAB Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chuo-ku, 

Tokyo, President: Ayako Shimizu) which offers online counselling and smart phone 

applications for psychological care, have joined together to begin offering the “ascureSPARX 

Mental Health Program”: A program designed for corporate mental counselling through the 

combination of specialized applications and online remote guidance.

The “ascureSPARX Mental Health Program” is a psychological care and counseling program that combines a “doctor developed application” and “online counseling”. It provides psychological care based on cognitive behavioral therapy that has been proven to be effective but is said to be difficult to practice.  The program’s specialized application has been highly evaluated overseas through medical evidence (* 1) provided by “SPARX” and is intended to be used for the improvement of Japanese adults via expert supervision and mental counseling.  

 Mental health care can be practiced easily and enjoyably via a game based on cognitive behavioral therapy. In addition, regular counseling is provided by qualified individuals with guidance counseling experience conducted online without the burden of having to attend a clinic. By closely linking an application that is easy to begin and continue to use with online counseling, we are able to provide individual support to people in an effortless manner. 

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s evaluation standards, approximately 10% of all employees are diagnosed as high stress individuals. However, it has been stated that among those employees who received stress checks, only 0.6% had interviews that provided guidance from a medical professional (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Occupational Health Division (July, 2008)). ascureSPARX is a new solution to this issue that uses the power of technology to contribute to corporate mental health measures. It allows those high stress individuals who are unable to have interview sessions with a doctor to work on their stress related issues.  

 (* 1) See：http://www.bmj.com/content/344/ bmj.e2598

 

* This program and dedicated application are not medical instruments. The diagnosis and prevention of disease, treatment, suppression, etc. * are not guaranteed. Medication will be purchased from a pharmacist etc. after information pertaining to said medication has been provided.

 

Regarding the specialized application “ascureSPARX”, SPARX is a national project created in New Zealand. It is an RPG game based on the concept of cognitive behavioral therapy developed by a research team at the University of Auckland and has received high praise internationally having won the “International Digital Award” sponsored by UN and UNESCO as well as the “World Summit Award”. The Japanese version of this exclusive application “ascureSPARX” is currently being announced and has been upgraded to suit the Japanese work environment.

【Provision and Supervision of the Program】

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Kohta Satake (MD) Keio University School of Medicine, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) Master of Business Administration (MBA), John Hopkins University Graduate School, Master of Public Health (MPH).

 

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Shin Suzuki (MD) Medical Department of Keio University, Kayak Co., LTD, University of Tokyo Medical Science Institute: Accumulating Development Technology of Genome Analysis 2013, gold medal in innovation of the Society of Artificial Intelligence 2013.

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Ayako Shimizu is a graduate of the International Liberal Arts Department of Sophia University 

and has completed the Masters course at the Graduate School of Pedagogy at the University of 

Tokyo. She is a part-time lecturer at the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering at the

University of Tsukuba, and has worked at Barclays Security Co., Ltd.

【About CureApp Co. Ltd.】
CureApp Co., Ltd. is a MedTech venture company that does R&D, manufacturing and sales for medical treatment equipment programs designed for the treatment of diseases based on medical evidence and advanced software technology. In order to achieve a new medical service in Japan for the first time in which “an application has the effect of treating a disease”, we are working on the development of a “treatment application ®︎”: An application for treating diseases. 

The aim of a “treatment application®︎” is to create a new effective treatment through analysis and guidance provided by an application that uses medical knowledge and evidence based on the daily treatment course of each patient. It also has the possibility to contribute to the improvement of conditions by encouraging the development of the habitual aspects of a patient by transforming their awareness and behavior. We have began clinical trials early in Japan, and have also began developing applications for multiple diseases.

In addition, based on the models produced in Japan, we plan to proceed by expanding globally with “Digital Health Solutions from Japan”.

【 About “HIKARI LAB Co., Ltd.” 】

 HIKARI LAB Co., Ltd. is a group of mental health care professionals and physiatrists focused on clinical psychology. In addition to offering psychological counseling from experienced clinical psychologists with highly specialized expertise, we also offer the “SPARX” application. This application is based on cognitive behavioral therapy intended for life in Japan. We are moving towards our goal of being able to “provide and implement reliable psychological care more readily and efficiently to anyone, anywhere in society”.

【CureApp Company Outline】

 Company Name: CureApp, Co., Ltd. President: Kohta Satake.

Head office: Kodenmacho YS Building 4th Floor, 12-5, Kodenma, Nihonbashi, Chuo, Tokyo. · Capital Reserve: 1,966,500,000 JPY. Established: July 31, 2014. 

Business Information: Medical program device development, PHR (personal health record) business, mobile health related service business. 
Trademark Registration: “Treatment application ︎︎” “CureApp® ︎” “ascure︎® ︎” “prescription application︎︎“
URL: http: // cureapp.co.jp/

【HIKARI LAB Co., Ltd. - Company Outline】

 Company Name: HIKARI Lab Inc. (HIKARI Lab Co., Ltd.)

 President: Ayako Shimizu. 

Head Office: Hayama Building, 4th floor, 17-2 Kabuto, Nihonbashi, Chuo, Tokyo. 

Capital Reserve: 3,000,000 JPY. 

Established: July 10, 2015. 

Business Information: Psychological Care Project 

URL: https: //www.hikariLab.co.jp/

* Reference * 

About “Cognitive Behavior Therapy”

Cognitive therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy (mental health therapy) that relaxes an individual’s feelings by encouraging cognition. Cognition is the way in which people receive information and think. (Source: The National Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Research http://cbt.ncnp.go.jp/)