Explore AI introduced professional mental-health and coaching support while employees were adjusting to an acquisition and integration with Sand Technologies.

The timing shaped the service. Employees were dealing with new structures, changing expectations and uncertainty about how their roles would develop. Explore AI wanted support that people could access privately and without a long booking process.

Strove Talk gave each employee five Care Credits a month for video sessions with counsellors, psychologists or coaches.

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March 2023: start with the wider Strove platform

Explore AI activated Strove for a small pilot group in mid-March 2023, followed by a wider release.

By October, 71% of onboarded users had adopted the platform. This gave the company an existing digital route to employees before Talk was introduced.

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November 2023: add professional support

Talk launched as the acquisition approached. Explore AI and Strove held an information session with employees to explain the available professionals, the booking process and the monthly Care Credits.

The first session was booked that day. Employees booked 34 sessions in the first month.

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The service mix over the following nine months was:

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Use peaked at 68 sessions in May 2024 and reached its lowest point at 28 sessions in January 2024. The month-to-month pattern shows that demand changed rather than following a fixed employee-assistance schedule.

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Employees returned after the first session

The strongest evidence in this story is continued use and satisfaction.

Session reviews averaged 4.94 out of 5, and 95% of submitted reviews gave the service five stars.

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One anonymous user described the value of employer-funded access:

‍"The sessions I have had with Ryan have been invaluable. His direct style suits my needs. If I could no longer attend sessions with him via Strove, I would seek his services via private practice. Having the possibility of attending sessions with a professional, as paid for by my company, is the best thing they have done for my health."

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Another employee used Talk for a first therapy session:

"Tanele was really amazing, wow! This was my first ever therapy session, and I was blown away."

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What the evidence supports

The World Health Organization's guidelines on mental health at work recommend action at several levels, including organisational changes, manager training, worker training and support for people experiencing mental-health conditions.

Talk supplied an accessible individual-support option. It couldn't address every cause of stress at work, and it didn't replace the organisation's responsibility to manage workload, role clarity or working conditions.

The available data supports three conclusions:

1. Employees used the service during a period of change.
2. Many returned for more than one session.
3. Submitted reviews were strongly positive.

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A service employees could use during change

Explore AI made Talk available before employees had to ask HR to arrange support case by case. Care Credits appeared in the app each month, sessions were booked privately and calendar confirmations happened automatically.

That delivery model reduced practical friction at a time when employees were already adjusting to change. The 413 sessions show that the benefit moved beyond availability into actual use.