What it will take for men to start and stay in therapy: Bupa and Movember launch a global initiative

• In the UK 82% of men aged 40-54 who died by suicide in 2017 were in contact with primary care services prior to their death, and half (50%) had been in contact with mental health services.
• International Healthcare Company Bupa is partnering with Movember to equip clinicians across its Mindplace mental health centres in the UK and Australia with Movember's evidence-based Men in Mind training program, designed to support clinicians to engage and retain men in mental health care.
• The initiative forms part of Bupa's £140m investment in Mindplace, its new network of mental health centres, with plans to open 200 sites globally by 2028 and expand access to more personalised and preventive mental healthcare. 

Global healthcare company Bupa has partnered with men’s health charity Movember to help more men stay engaged with mental health support, following research showing that 45% of men disengage from therapy before completing treatment. 

About the partnership

Through the partnership, clinicians across Bupa's Mindplace mental health centres in the UK and Australia will complete Movember's evidence-based Men in Mind training program, which aims to improve engagement and retention among male patients. Mindplace is Bupa's growing network of mental health centres, offering walk-in support, appointments and therapy programs designed to help people access care earlier.

The initiative responds to evidence that men do seek help but too often disengage before receiving the full benefit of treatment. Research underpinning the Men in Mind program found that 87% of Australian men who died by suicide had accessed a health service in the year before their death. These figures point not to a failure of men to seek help, but to an opportunity for healthcare systems to better recognise and respond to men when they do.

The core issue to address

The partnership reflects a shared recognition that healthcare systems have a critical role to play in engaging and retaining men in mental health care. 

Demand for mental health support among men continues to grow. In the UK, the number of men accessing Bupa's mental health support services has increased by 280% since the start of 2025, while 50% of customers accessing Mindplace services since launch have been men.

Developed by Movember's Dr Zac Seidler, clinical psychologist and Global Director of Men's Health Research, Men in Mind equips mental health practitioners with evidence-based strategies to engage men more effectively, improve therapeutic alliance, and support men to stay connected to care.

The program will be delivered virtually through Bupa Campus, Bupa's global learning platform, over the coming months.

Movember's Men In Mind program

Men in Mind supports practitioners to:

• Understand how men experience and express mental health challenges
• Build therapeutic approaches that improve engagement and retention among male clients
• Identify men at risk earlier and support them to stay connected to care.

Early results from the Men in Mind program have shown 94% of respondents felt more confident working with male clients after completing the training, and 98% reported an improvement in their score on the Engaging with Men in Therapy Scale (EMITS).

A further 85% said they had since applied what they learned in their own practice. Among those clinicians, 59% reported improved engagement with male clients , either through greater client openness, or clinicians feeling more confident in those conversations.

The program marks one of the first international initiatives specifically designed to help keep men in therapy when they need it most. 

Professor Melvin Samsom, Chief Medical & Sustainability Officer at Bupa Group, said:

“Mental health is one of the defining healthcare challenges of our time, and better outcomes depend not only on expanding access to support, but ensuring people remain engaged once they seek help.

“Too many men are still falling through the gaps in traditional models of care. This training helps scale research-backed approaches that support earlier intervention, improve engagement and ultimately ensure more people receive the care they need before reaching crisis point.

“This program is part of Bupa’s ambition to strengthen preventive mental healthcare through our growing global network of Mindplace centres and connected digital services, helping more people access personalised support earlier.”

Dr Zac Seidler, Global Director of Research at Movember, said: 

"When it comes to men's mental health, getting men through the door is only part of the challenge - keeping them engaged in support is equally important. Through our partnership with Bupa and its Mindplace centres, we're helping clinicians better understand how men experience and express mental health concerns, and how to build stronger therapeutic relationships. This investment in clinician training has the potential to improve care for thousands of men and ensure more men receive the support they need, for as long as they need it.”

Bupa has committed to investing £140m in global mental health centre program Mindplace, with plans to open 200 sites worldwide by 2028. The expansion reflects Bupa’s wider focus on improving access to timely, preventive and personalised mental healthcare at a time of growing global demand. 

For more information on the partnership reach out to Adan Freeman at adan.freeman@movember.com