Bumble Launches Online Trauma Support With Bloom
Contributed by: kellyseal on Thursday, May 12 2022 @ 08:39 am
Last modified on Thursday, May 12 2022 @ 09:00 am
Bumble Inc has taken a big step in assisting users who have experienced sexual assault and abuse through its new online trauma support center, created in partnership with Bloom and now available to users of its Bumble and Badoo dating apps.
The support center offers online courses to help with emotional healing, and is available to users who report sexual assault or relationship abuse over the apps. They will receive a code for free access to a customized version of Bloom’s support specific to daters, with three self-guided courses: Healing from Sexual Trauma; Society, Patriarchy, and Sexual Trauma; and Dating, Boundaries, and Relationships. The dating apps will also offer one-on-one chat support and up to six therapy sessions for certain cases.
Kenya Fairley, Bumble’s Head of Member Safety Support said in a statement: “We are grateful to be able to remove many known barriers that survivors face when seeking trauma support, from privacy to cost, to allow them the opportunity to begin their healing journey at their own pace."
The companies partnered last year to start creating the curriculum, and now is available for those users who request help, according to Forbes[*1] . Bumble and Bloom also surveyed their dating app users about their experiences and found that emotional abuse was the most commonly experienced trauma, and that it was happening as much online as it was in real life relationships. They also discovered that more than one third of those who experienced this abuse didn’t report it – either because they didn’t think anything would happen or because they didn’t feel they would be believed.
Bloom operates with encrypted technology, so users can retain privacy while getting support. Once the user accesses the courses or chats with a counselor over Bloom, the information will not be reported back to Bumble or Badoo.
In its app store description, Bloom says that it “combines digital programs, guided journaling, and emotional analysis to give you a new hyper-personalized digital therapy experience.” The app offers classes on self-care practices to “cultivate more joy, improve personal well-being and manage stress and anxiety.” The videos it offers were designed and developed by clinical therapist and best-selling author for CBT therapy, Seth Gillihan.
“It’s been a joy to work with the Bumble team and learn about their members’ needs, and it is truly groundbreaking to see a dating app take the healing of survivors so seriously,” said Hera Hussain, the founder of Bloom’s parent organization, Chayn of the customized program they put together with Bumble.
Fairley told Forbes: “It is vital that we create a space for survivors within our community to be seen, heard, and believed.”