What is professional listening? Why people are paying for someone to hear them out.

You've had the worst day of your life and you need to word-vomit all your feelings. Your dad won't pick up the phone. Shoot. Mom? Nope. Best friend? Nothing. Therapist? If you only had an appointment.

That's where a professional listener might come in handy – especially one that could be available in under five minutes. One such listening app, Hapi, aims to connect its anonymous users with anonymous listeners at the fraction of the cost of therapy: $12 for a 15-minute session and $36 for 60 minutes.

Active listeners vary by service, but the gist is people can speak their minds for about an hour to someone who won't chime in like a therapist would.

"We are not providing advice," says Adi Segal, CEO of Hapi. "We are non-clinical, so we're not providing a therapeutic pathway either. We're really just being there for the other person. And the truth is, most people have the answers to the problems and issues they're trying to resolve. They just need the space to work through them."

But is active listening a viable alternative to therapy? Therapists say there's certainly room for active listening in mental health care, but they express worry about the ethics of such platforms in place of care from licensed medical professionals.

"It makes sense to me that there's a market opportunity here for the rise of professional listeners, because not everyone has access to consistent healthy social support," says T.M. Robinson-Mosley, counseling psychologist. "But there are some significant concerns."

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The concept of professional listening isn't new, per se. But in a country facing a loneliness epidemic, the need for human connection is real – and necessary.

"Even lacking connection for extended periods can have a risk similar to premature death levels comparable to smoking daily," Mosley says. "It's really significant."

Benjamin Goldman, licensed mental health counselor, recognizes that a business model like this makes sense to the fill the gap between mental health need and mental health access.

"Mental health has been talked about a lot more, and so people feel more open to express that they want a place to be heard, and listened to, but maybe don't have access to it," Goldman says. "Professional listening is trying to seek to fill that gap."

On Hapi, at least, the listener will talk on occasion and step in should someone require additional resources depending on their issues and the severity. Costs also vary by service, with some groups charging prices comparable to traditional therapy.

That said, it doesn't provide the same clinical benefits as a therapist-client relationship where they work together to proactively problem-solve, build boundaries and heal healthily.

'The difference between life and death'

Mosley is specifically concerned about the ethics of the practice; what if someone doesn't know the difference between a licensed therapist or professional listener but signs up anyway? How does confidentiality work? (It depends on the service.)

Professional listeners, of course, aren't trying to be therapists and say as much on their websites. And though professional listeners don't follow the same education nor credentialing route as licensed therapists, at Hapi, for example, they must go through a certification process followed by a live interview.

Still, ethical considerations will inevitably come up – what if someone discusses harming themselves or someone else? Licensed therapists must report this, while a professional listener is bound to whatever their specific employer's terms of service are (Hapi will connect users to outside resources at their discretion). And even if the listeners are able to guide clients to the correct resources, it's not always an easy feat.

"It takes very skilled and experienced mental health and medical providers to manage care around suicidal ideation, and even then, it's extremely challenging," Mosley says. "So managing this particular issue can mean the difference between life and death."

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'I know that professional listening helps many people'

While venting out one's frustrations to an active listener may feel good in the moment, is that enough to achieve better mental health in the long run? It depends who you ask. But it seems room for both therapy and active listening exist.

"I believe and I know that professional listening helps many people," Goldman adds. "And if people feel helped by a service, and you're processing an event, and it feels good to talk about and it feels good to have a space where you can talk about it, I love that. That's beautiful."

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 any time day or night, or chat online. 

Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.

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