Executive summary: Phlourish, an EA-founded nonprofit in the Philippines, has piloted and launched a cost-effective guided self-help program for adolescents that shows promising improvements in life satisfaction and mental health outcomes, and is now scaling through partnerships, subgrants, and new initiatives such as group workshops and parenting support.
Key points:
Program impact: The guided self-help toolkit—combining workbooks, mentoring, orientations, and referrals—improved life satisfaction (medium effect size 0.46, p<0.001) and other mental health outcomes among adolescents, with strong acceptance ratings (9.75/10).
Cost-effectiveness: At ~$19.76 per participant, or ~$8.39 per one-point increase in life satisfaction, the program compares favorably with other low-cost mental health interventions.
Scaling efforts: Having reached over 900 users across 23 partner organizations, Phlourish aims for 3,000 users in 2025, with expansion supported by subgrants, training, and a growing mentor network (171 trained).
New pilots: In 2025, they are testing three additional interventions: (a) subgranting the workbook program, (b) group psychoeducation workshops, and (c) a parenting SMS program (PM-Sent).
Challenges and lessons: Barriers include low mental health awareness, structural gaps in healthcare systems, and difficulties in scaling across diverse contexts. Lessons highlight the value of partner-led implementation, environmental interventions (involving parents, schools), and flexibility in mentoring styles.
Next steps and collaborations: Beyond user growth and program pilots, Phlourish plans teacher training collaborations, further organizational development, and welcomes partnerships in implementation, M&E, and research.
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Executive summary: Phlourish, an EA-founded nonprofit in the Philippines, has piloted and launched a cost-effective guided self-help program for adolescents that shows promising improvements in life satisfaction and mental health outcomes, and is now scaling through partnerships, subgrants, and new initiatives such as group workshops and parenting support.
Key points:
Program impact: The guided self-help toolkit—combining workbooks, mentoring, orientations, and referrals—improved life satisfaction (medium effect size 0.46, p<0.001) and other mental health outcomes among adolescents, with strong acceptance ratings (9.75/10).
Cost-effectiveness: At ~$19.76 per participant, or ~$8.39 per one-point increase in life satisfaction, the program compares favorably with other low-cost mental health interventions.
Scaling efforts: Having reached over 900 users across 23 partner organizations, Phlourish aims for 3,000 users in 2025, with expansion supported by subgrants, training, and a growing mentor network (171 trained).
New pilots: In 2025, they are testing three additional interventions: (a) subgranting the workbook program, (b) group psychoeducation workshops, and (c) a parenting SMS program (PM-Sent).
Challenges and lessons: Barriers include low mental health awareness, structural gaps in healthcare systems, and difficulties in scaling across diverse contexts. Lessons highlight the value of partner-led implementation, environmental interventions (involving parents, schools), and flexibility in mentoring styles.
Next steps and collaborations: Beyond user growth and program pilots, Phlourish plans teacher training collaborations, further organizational development, and welcomes partnerships in implementation, M&E, and research.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.