For anyone experiencing a mental health crisis, relief can't come soon enough. Yet for far too many workers, even those with employer-sponsored health coverage, that relief can feel out of reach.
The problem affects a large part of the American workforce. But due to barriers standing in the way of mental health access in the workplace, many employees suffer in silence.
"At least one in four people are struggling with a mental health disorder in the United States," says Erin Thase, national director of mental health at Marathon Health. "That means people who are diagnosed by a medical or mental health professional, which means there are probably many more who are just struggling on a regular basis and managing the day-to-day stressors going on in their lives."
Seventy-three percent of employers are seeing an increase in demand for services to treat mental health and substance use disorder. It affects all types of workers, from office employees to senior executives and first responders.
To complicate matters further, data shows that as of May 2026, there's a shortage of more than 7,400 mental health providers in the U.S., and over 150 million residents currently live in an HRSA-designated Health Professional Shortage Area. Even in areas with ample mental health services, it can be difficult to find high-quality providers.
The question isn't whether your workforce is struggling, but whether they can get help when they need it most.
Impacts of unaddressed mental health in the workplace
When mental health goes unaddressed in the workplace, the consequences ripple outward, touching everything from individual performance to a company's bottom line.
At the employee level, mental health directly affects a person's ability to show up physically and mentally. Presenteeism, absenteeism, and difficulty managing day-to-day job responsibilities are all common symptoms of a workforce that isn't getting the support it needs.
The financial impact on employers is just as significant. Thase says many of the higher claims Marathon Health clients see are mental health-related, particularly when conditions go unmanaged and become chronic.
"Diabetes, chronic heart conditions, COPD, and asthma all have a huge overlap with some of our mental health symptoms, and mental health conditions can make some of those chronic medical conditions worsen in some capacity," Thase says.
In other words, untreated mental health doesn't just increase behavioral health costs, it drives up medical costs across the board. When employers only treat the physical condition without addressing the underlying mental health component, they're solving half the problem and paying for all of it.
The barriers standing between employees and mental healthcare access
Even when employers offer mental health benefits, accessing them is rarely straightforward. Several well-documented barriers consistently get in the way.
Long wait times are one of the most common frustrations with mental health access. Nationally, patients wait six weeks on average to see a mental health professional, and in some regions, that wait stretches to months. When someone is in crisis, a months-long wait isn't a solution.
Cost and coverage confusion add another layer of difficulty. Even those who have behavioral health benefits often don't understand what's covered, which providers are in-network, or how to navigate prior authorizations.
“There's confusion about what you're actually charging me for and when you're going to charge me," Thase says. “What am I paying for? How do I know that it's working?”
Finding a mental health provider who truly feels like the right fit can be another hurdle.
“I think there’s also just limited availability of culturally competent mental health providers," Thase says. “In terms of just a range of different providers that people feel like they can connect with due to their different life circumstances or upbringings, there's just not a lot of variety for people to be able to find someone that fits well for them.”
Stigma remains deeply embedded in workplace culture. Despite growing public conversations around mental health, many employees still fear that seeking help will signal weakness, affect their job security, or change how colleagues perceive them.
“There's still a lot of mental health stigma. There's still a lot of fear," Thase says. “We talk about it at Marathon Health in our employer-sponsored settings that this isn't a place that your employer is going to know and find out all the things about you. This is a safe resource you can go to.”
How employers can improve mental health access
Recognizing the problem is one thing. Taking action is another. Employers who want to make a real difference in their workforce's mental health need to look critically at the solutions they're offering and evaluate whether they actually work for their employees.
- Address wait times with more immediate access: One of the most impactful things an employer can do is reduce the time between when an employee decides to seek help and when they actually receive it. Look for solutions that prioritize rapid mental health access, whether through onsite providers, expanded virtual options, or dedicated care navigators who can connect employees to care quickly.
- Expand the scope of care: Mental health support shouldn't be limited to clinical treatment for diagnosed conditions. Patients benefit from access to a broader range of services, such as pediatric mental health, couples counseling, and support for stress and burnout, none of which require a formal diagnosis. When care feels approachable and relevant to everyday life, more employees will use it.
- Lean into the value of connected, whole-person care: People want support from someone they trust. There's real value in integrated mental health services for employers where a primary care physician can make a warm, informed referral to a mental health professional. That continuity builds trust and removes one more barrier between an employee and the help they need.
“When we talk about effective, integrated care, it's being able to be a one-stop shop for all of your medical, mental, and physical needs," Thase says. “You're going to leave there feeling like you've been heard, feeling like you don't need to go to five more specialists to find an answer to the question that you came in for.”
Meet employees where they are. A virtual-only solution works well for some employees, and not at all for others. Before rolling out a mental health program, employers should consider the full range of their workforce. Are there employees who are tech-averse, who work on a shop floor, or who don't have reliable access to a private space for a video call? The best solution is one that offers multiple access points.
Use leadership to normalize the conversation. When leaders talk openly about stress, burnout, and mental health as a normal part of their experience, it signals to the entire organization that it's safe to do the same.
"The more there are people in positions of power that are able to talk about stress management and mental health like it's a part of their conversation—from whatever place of disclosure is appropriate—I think that also helps," Thase says. "To be able to see coworkers, colleagues, managers, or executives across the organization talk about it like it's part of the conversation, and not something we hide behind closed doors and whisper about."
How integrated models close the access gap
Marathon Health's integrated LiveBetter model embeds mental health side-by-side with advanced primary care within its employer health centers. Members receive mental health support as part of their whole-person care, shortening the path to treatment, and ensuring that no one has to wait weeks to talk to someone. In many cases, members can schedule same- or next-day appointments with a mental health provider.
When care is easy to reach, people use it. When it's buried in complexity, they don't. Employers who understand that distinction and build their mental health strategy around removing barriers rather than just adding point solutions will be the ones who make a real difference in the lives of their workforce.
By working collaboratively, we can create a healthcare experience that delivers better outcomes, greater satisfaction, and lasting impact for all.About Grand Strides
Marathon Health’s Grand Strides series brings our clinical community together for candid conversations with trailblazers in healthcare. These sessions are designed to spark new thinking, share actionable insights, and inspire our teams as we navigate the evolving landscape of care. Looking for more healthcare optimism? Read the recap from Grand Strides with Dr. Amy Abernethy.