Patrick Ohiomoba
My Personal Mental Health Journey
Like many I grew up learning that there was strength and nobility in suffering silently and that having others aware that you had doubts, fears and internal struggles would in shame and loss. I didn't trust that there was help out there for people like me. I didn't understand that putting in internal work was part of a liberation journey. I appreciate the many steps I've already taken and am excited for the many many steps I still have to go. I want everyone possible to have great opportunities to embark on their own mental health journey and to understand that wherever they are at in that journey is a blessing.
The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself, the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us, that’s where it’s at. -Jesse Owens
Behind Our Name
When putting together a name, we spoke with potential users to understand their process for seeking mental health care. Terms like “stigmatized”, “uncomfortable”, and “venturing into the unknown” were common features, and it felt clear that having someone to guide you through the process would be both welcomed and appreciated.
Within our founding team, we reflected on the people that had impacted us most in our own personal journeys. Each of our respective works had been inspired by a great Marvin. These Marvins ranged from Marvin Maurer, an educator who developed an emotional literacy program in the early 1970s, to Marvin Minsky, a cognitive scientist and pioneer in the fields of AI and philosophy, to even Marvin Gaye, the great soul musician and producer.
With that in mind, we’ve developed Marvin as a way to put a friendly name and face to the process of seeking behavioral health care. We hope that with Marvin joining you on your personal journey, we can take away some of that unfortunate stigma, and work together to find the right program that helps you feel at your best.
Your experience in the world is unique - your mental health care should reflect that. At Marvin, we take an extraordinarily personalized approach, designing unique experiences with you in mind, and maintaining a connection to our mission that presides throughout all of our operations.
We've started with a custom program for physicians to build a mental health action plan, using machine learning-based clinical tools and a 24/7 concierge support structure that maintains the highest quality of care. Over time we'll expand to new verticals, building unique experiences that help everyone on their mental health journey.
Interested to learn more about us? We'd love to hear from you.
Marvin Initial Support
We thank our initial kind support from the Rappaport Family Foundation and Harvard Innovation Labs, which has enabled Marvin to grow and support health care workers around the country.
