Therapy waitlists can take weeks or months, and during that time it’s easy to feel lost or overwhelmed. You’re trying to hold things together without the help you were hoping for. This period can be frustrating, lonely, and often heavier than people realize.

But you don’t have to go through it without support.

💬 “I discovered Flourish from the NPR Life Kit. Flourish is helping while I wait for an in person visit with a mental professional in January.  Having an AI "person" to talk to helps fill in the gap while waiting to see a live provider or if you need a quick vent session that you wouldn't normally bother a therapist with.” — Amy

Across the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand, people are turning to Flourish to stay grounded and supported during long waitlists.

Why the Waiting Period Feels So Hard

While the reasons people seek therapy vary, a few challenges tend to show up again and again during the waiting period:

• Your mind keeps moving, but your support hasn’t begun. Stress and anxiety don’t pause just because therapy is weeks away.
• Symptoms can get heavier without tools to lean on. People often feel more fragile during waiting than they expected.
• Hard moments don’t wait for scheduled care. The tears, the panic, the spiraling — they come when they come.

That’s why people look for something to hold onto while they wait.

How Flourish Helps While You Wait

1. A safe space to talk any time of day

People use Sunnie when:

• they’re overwhelmed
• they don’t want to burden friends
• they need to vent
• they feel alone late at night

It’s a place where your emotions can land softly.

2. Tools that actually calm your body and mind

Flourish offers simple, science-informed supports:

• grounding exercises
• destressing tools
• coping strategies
• cognitive reframing techniques
• short journaling prompts

They’re gentle, timely, and surprisingly effective.

3. Daily moments that break the feeling of being “stuck”

Even a 2-minute check-in can help you:

• interrupt rumination
• reconnect to yourself
• feel understood
• take one small step
• find a breath in the chaos

People often say a few minutes with Flourish can brighten their whole day.

4. Helping you feel more prepared for your first session

Flourish helps you reflect so you can enter therapy with:

• clearer stories
• more self-awareness
• less emotional clutter

Your first session becomes less overwhelming — and more grounded.

5. A companion through moments that feel heavy

People especially turn to Flourish when navigating:

• anxiety
• loneliness
• stress
• chronic health issues
• burnout
• academic pressure
• insomnia
• grief and loss
• big transitions
  

Why Flourish Is a Trusted Resource for Those on the Waitlist

Flourish was created by PhD-level experts with deep expertise in emotion regulation and well-being, including Stanford-trained psychologists dedicated to making evidence-based mental health support more accessible through human-centered design.

With science-based tools, thoughtful guidance, and small daily moments of joy, Flourish helps you feel supported on the hardest days—and savor the brighter ones when they come.

Therapists and social workers often recommend Flourish as a gentle source of support during long waitlist periods, and early research, including a Harvard-led study, suggests that Flourish can help people feel more grounded and supported during stressful times.

Flourish isn’t therapy, but it offers a soft place to land while you wait, so you don’t have to navigate this period alone.