Kyan Health is revolutionizing how American employers deliver personalized behavioral health care and employee assistance programs (EAPs) to their workforce. In a recent interview, Konstantin Struck, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Kyan Health, outlined the company’s mission: to provide high-quality care through a network of 11,000 providers across all U.S. states and 140,000 worldwide, at a price point accessible to mid-market and enterprise employers, while ensuring full compliance with HIPAA and state licensing.
The company’s origins trace back to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which employers faced a surge in mental health needs among their employees. Co-founder Vlad Gheorghiu previously managed the mental health program at McKinsey, which served as a blueprint for Kyan Health, shaped by direct experience with the deficiencies of traditional EAPs. Struck noted that older EAPs often failed to drive significant engagement or achieve meaningful clinical outcomes—two key metrics that concern U.S. employers. Meanwhile, high-end behavioral health platforms set a clinical bar that many American employers find financially unmanageable.
Kyan Health aims to bridge this gap by offering the clinical quality and user experience that employers expect from premium behavioral health platforms, but at a more manageable cost.
“We fill a critical market void,” Struck stated.
Kyan’s clinical model is based on the understanding that mental health needs are not static; an employee benefiting from coaching today may require clinical therapy tomorrow. The company’s individualized approach begins with an AI-guided self-assessment of well-being that considers context, intent, and severity. The goal is to match employees with the appropriate type and level of care, whether it be a therapist, a coach, or a self-guided program—tailored to what employees share, while ensuring that care decisions and advice are based on clinically licensed support.
The array of options provided by Kyan includes services ranging from stress management and coaching to clinical therapy and crisis intervention. This self-assessment serves as an evolving tool to understand employees’ needs without requiring an admission call or obliging individuals to use a helpline—potential barriers for those initially hesitant to disclose their circumstances. It also accommodates cases where symptoms may indicate a different clinical need than initially assumed by the employee.
“We are all stressed these days, but stress varies. The stress felt by a teenager struggling at home is different from that of someone caring for a loved one or worrying about finances,” Struck commented. “Oftentimes, we find that many members show symptoms without truly understanding the underlying causes.”
The assessment feeds into a personalized care journey that guides members toward self-guidance tools, coaching, or clinical care, adjusting as their needs evolve. Kyan also facilitates direct booking with licensed and credentialed therapists, with appointments available in under three days.
Struck emphasized that premium care will only be effective if employees actually engage with it. In the EAP and mental health sectors, the biggest unresolved issue remains overcoming employees’ negative prior experiences with EAPs, as well as the perception that these programs are only for those in crisis. “If you asked them, many people wouldn’t admit they are in crisis or close to one,” he observed.
Beyond member experience, another critical component is how organizations launch and sustain mental health programs within their workforce. Through Kyan Engage, the company assists HR directors, managers, and teams in rolling out mental health benefits in a way that builds trust before employees reach a crisis point. The solution includes tailored communication resources, nudges, manager support materials, and staff-specific aids designed according to individual needs to enhance adoption.
Even experiences such as the death of a pet or navigating difficult times with a teenager may not be what most people would label as a crisis, but they are nonetheless valid reasons to seek help and receive qualified support.
“It’s important to frame mental health services so that 100% of your staff feels invited and does not feel stigmatized or see them as reserved for those in crises,” Struck explained.
He also underscored the crucial role of AI in enhancing access and navigation but made it clear that Kyan believes technology should never replace direct counseling, especially given concerns about the effectiveness of AI chatbots in clinical settings. Instead, Kyan employs AI selectively through KAI, its AI-guided care navigation layer, which personalizes the care journey while streamlining backend operations without substituting licensed care.
Kyan manages to offer superior quality at reasonable prices due to the efficiency of its backend operations. This approach extends to how the company builds its provider network: utilizing technology to identify providers at scale while deploying seasoned clinicians where human judgment is most crucial, such as assessing clinical quality and therapeutic approach before a provider joins the network. The result is a vast network of 11,000 providers across all 50 U.S. states, free from the overhead costs that typically elevate prices for employers.
Measuring the return on investment is multifaceted, with a reduction in mental health-related medical claims being one metric. Struck reported that 90% of clinical cases show significant improvements after just three sessions. Additional metrics include short- and long-term disability measures and productivity. Kyan also provides case studies for several clients, including Hitachi Energy and the Swiss sportswear brand On.
At Hitachi Energy, the utilization of Kyan led to over 50% improvements in employee engagement and participation. Prior to partnering with Kyan, existing EAPs were fragmented and lacked a unified approach to mental health support. With a global workforce spread across various countries, they needed an inclusive solution that was sensitive to cultural and linguistic differences. Following the implementation of Kyan’s program, employee engagement in mental health and wellness increased significantly, with mental health becoming less of a taboo subject and enabling pro-active discussion on the topic. This shift facilitated timely managerial responses to concerns before they escalated into larger issues, leading to a decrease in absenteeism and signs of enhanced overall productivity.
After collaborating with Kyan, On reported gains of $1.3 million in productivity by mitigating presenteeism—when employees are physically at work but unwell—and achieved a 30% reduction in voluntary turnover, resulting in savings of $1.1 million. Improved management of complex mental health cases also avoided costs of $500,000.
Kyan typically works with employers having a minimum of 500 employees, ideally over 1,000. In the United States, its clients include benefits consultants, brokers, and benefits leaders seeking to replace underperforming legacy EAPs, consolidate ad-hoc solutions, boost engagement, and demonstrate measurable ROI.
However, beyond the financial analysis, Struck emphasized the personal urgency surrounding mental health. “Mental health does not only happen in a 45-minute session once a week. It occurs at 1 a.m. when someone can’t sleep, on a Monday morning before a tough conversation, or during a school run after a challenging diagnosis. The question is whether the surrounding support can keep pace. Ours can.”
While seeking mental health support is no longer as stigmatized as it once was in American workplaces, offering a user-centered and trust-based experience is vital for improving employee engagement and adoption. For employers weighing the cost control of old EAPs against the clinical quality of high-end behavioral health platforms, Kyan argues that compromise is no longer necessary. Their model marries licensed care, AI-driven navigation, extensive local provider networks, employer services, and accountability for performance to deliver world-class quality that employers can afford.
Photo: Richard Drury, Getty Images
