‘A way for them to connect’

When tasked with creating a mobile app prototype in their computer science class for the 2024 Congressional App Challenge, Haddonfield Memorial High School seniors Asher Fred, Case Hurly and Michael Breibart didn’t want to make just anything.

They wanted to bring to life an app that could help people, especially teenagers. 

The result was Mental Plus, which connects students with psychologists and psychiatrists, allowing them to communicate and schedule appointments for mental-health support – all for free. The concept was so well received that Mental Plus won the Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide event designed to engage student creativity and encourage participation in STEM fields.

Their award is for New Jersey’s 1st Congressional District, represented by Donald Norcross.

“I think we went into it not thinking that anything would come of it,” recalled Fred, who explained that the trio got involved in the challenge through computer science teacher Bethany Lau. “I feel like our main goal was not to win. It was to get better at coding and dealing with problems, while also having fun and working with new things, because that will help us later.”

Out of all the 1st District submissions, Mental Plus won because of a unique concept that’s designed to have a positive impact on users, the award noted. 

“The idea is that it’s for people who have poor mental health and feel lonely, but don’t necessarily need to reach out to a hotline or anything,” said Breibart. “It’s a way for them to connect to volunteer licensed therapists through private messaging.” 

An initial point of contact with a therapist often happens in an office setting, which can be stressful for some, especially young people. Mental Plus makes it easier, since all conversations are done via an online chat. 

“It helps close that gap,” Hurly explained. “We knew we wanted to do something to not just make an app, but make an app that was actually useful, an app that was more impressive in its idea and the theory behind it, rather than just trying to pour all of our effort into the coding, into the developing.

“The idea is what we really focused on the most.” 

This trio made Mental Plus as user-friendly as possible. After an initial log in, users can draft a message explaining what they’re feeling that then goes to their volunteer therapist, who can leave a personalized response. 

Though there are still some final touches to be made, the creators of Mental Plus are confident it will soon be usable, at least by their high-school peers. They are currently meeting with local professionals interested in providing volunteer therapy services. 

“Once we finish polishing it up, we’d actually be able to launch it onto our school’s campus for students to use,” Breibart noted. 

“It’d be nice to have this idealistic app on the app store,” Hurly suggested. “Anyone can download it, anyone can use it. But that’s kind of the thing that people spend their whole lives doing. I think we all have the common sentiment of wanting to improve this app and wanting to get it out there, rather than spending all of our time developing it, because getting it used is more important than trying to get it big.” 

While this may be their first time developing a full-fledged app together, Fred, Hurley and Breibart are no strangers to the world of computer science, which they’ve been studying in high school and beyond for four years. Breibart is interning at an AI company and Fred is working on a database for a local senior center that will enable it to keep track of their clientele. 

Yet the process of building Mental Plus wasn’t without its difficulties, mainly because it was created using a newer programming language called Dart. 

“It was a bit unlike any other,” Hurly observed. “We’ve all had practice in coding. We’ve all been doing computer science for four years now, so we know how to code. But this was just a little bit different than all the other languages in a few really annoying ways that made it really annoying to use,” he added with a laugh. 

Still, it was all worth it knowing that maybe someday soon, the trio’s hard work will help someone who doesn’t know where to turn. 

“Sometimes, people just need someone to talk to, someone that knows what they’re doing and has the background, the words, which is a therapist, to help you talk through your problems and find that solution,” Hurly emphasized. “This is perfect for that. We definitely message on our phone enough, so we’re used to it by now.

“It just seems like a lot of people want something like this and they think it’s vital.”

Looking ahead, Fred, Hurley and Breibart all envision themselves continuing computer science in college and afterward, and believe their joint experience creating Mental Plus will greatly help in their future endeavors. 

They will join the other winning Congressional App Challenge winners from across the country in Washington, D.C., to attend a summit called #HouseOfCode, where they’ll display their app to members of Congress and the technology community.