Independent Study from the IBI Shows ComPsych Behavioral Health Services Deliver 507% ROI — $6.07 Returned for Every $1 Invested
Talent Management / Employee Wellness | 4 min read
ComPsych® Corporation, the worldwide leader in organisational mental health, wellbeing, and absence management, has announced the results of a new Return on Investment and Clinical Outcomes study conducted by the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) — the leading independent research organisation for health and productivity. The independent analysis of ComPsych's behavioural health services shows a projected annual ROI of 507% — or $6.07 returned for every $1 invested. Using de-identified programme data from ComPsych in 2024 and 2025, IBI applied pre- and post-measurements from validated clinical instruments — the PHQ-9 (depression symptoms) and GAD-7 (anxiety symptoms) — to an analysis that also measured workplace productivity outcomes. The study provides both a clinical outcomes case and an economic ROI case for employer investment in behavioural health benefits.
"Every day we hear from IBI member companies that ROI is critical and that they need to ensure that programmes are delivering anticipated results. We were pleased to partner with ComPsych on this important work."
— Jim Huffman, President and CEO, Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI)
Clinical Outcomes: Depression, Anxiety, and Workplace Absence
IBI applied rigorous methodologies to ensure appropriate representation across key demographics including income and industry, reviewing matched pre- and post-treatment data for members who engaged in counselling services. For those who began with a clinically significant assessment score on the PHQ-9 and/or GAD-7, the results demonstrated significant clinical impact: 63% of members achieved reliable improvement in depression; 73% achieved reliable improvement in anxiety. Beyond clinical outcomes, the analysis found significant productivity improvements: 76% of people who engaged in services showed reduced workplace absence. These results were achieved through consistently high counsellor ratings and strong therapeutic relationships. ComPsych's clinical outcomes data showed that 90% of participants reported that they and their counsellor trusted, respected, and appreciated each other — a working alliance metric designed to measure the quality of the therapeutic relationship between clinician and client.
The 507% ROI: What Drives It and What It Means for Employers
The projected annual 507% ROI was driven by three key factors based on peer-reviewed, published data: healthcare cost reduction via avoidance of ER visits, prescription costs, and lower fixed medical spend; disability cost savings; and productivity gains from reduced workplace absence. The study focused specifically on ComPsych's counselling services — which represent only one part of ComPsych's comprehensive model. ComPsych's broader offering also includes wellbeing coaching, self-guided digital tools, and work-life services covering caregiving, parenting, financial support, and legal support. Jennifer Birdsall, Chief Clinical Officer of ComPsych, noted that knowing clients access more than counselling through the services — across the full care continuum — underscores the extent of genuine help being delivered to employees facing major life stressors. For employers, the study provides a rigorous, independently validated economic case at a moment when ROI proof is becoming increasingly essential for continued behavioural health investment decisions.
Key Takeaways
- • The Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) — the leading independent research organisation for health and productivity — conducted a new ROI and Clinical Outcomes study on ComPsych's behavioural health services, finding a projected annual ROI of 507% ($6.07 returned for every $1 invested), using de-identified ComPsych programme data from 2024 and 2025 and validated clinical instruments (PHQ-9, GAD-7).
- • Clinical outcomes for members beginning with clinically significant PHQ-9/GAD-7 scores: 63% achieved reliable improvement in depression; 73% achieved reliable improvement in anxiety; 76% showed reduced workplace absence. These results were achieved through consistently high counsellor ratings with a 90% working alliance score — participants and counsellors trusting, respecting, and appreciating each other.
- • The 507% ROI is driven by three factors (based on peer-reviewed published data): healthcare cost reduction (ER visit avoidance, prescription cost savings, lower fixed medical spend); disability cost savings; and productivity gains from reduced workplace absence — all quantified from counselling services alone, which represent only one part of ComPsych's comprehensive model.
- • ComPsych's broader platform extends beyond counselling to: wellbeing coaching; self-guided digital tools; and work-life services covering caregiving, parenting, financial support, and legal support — providing support across the full employee care continuum for major life stressors that affect workplace performance.
- • For HR and benefits leaders: the study provides a rigorous, independently validated economic and clinical case for behavioural health investment at a critical moment — 2026 is characterised by increasing demands from employers, payers, and boards to prove that mental health programmes deliver measurable outcomes and ROI, not just programme participation. ComPsych is the worldwide leader in organisational mental health, wellbeing, and absence management.