1 in 6 new-born children is diagnosed with a developmental disability according to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC). The main treatment methodology recommended by the medical community is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) however the challenge is a significant dearth of credentialed ABA providers. Rethink offers the industry-leading practice management platform for behavioral health providers specializing in individuals with autism and related disorders as well as the leading platform supporting K-12 school districts and employers with the mental health needs of their students/employees. The Company delivers training, workflow automation, and clinical support to organizations and individuals caring for individuals with a developmental disability as well as those struggling with mental health issues. We had a chance to meet the co-founder and CEO of Rethink, Mr. Daniel A. Etra, who has built a company that is improving millions of lives of people affected by behavioral and mental health issues.
The Inception
The Company was founded with a mission to effectively and affordably meet the treatment needs of an enormous and growing population worldwide faced with a significant dearth of trained professionals. From the start, the Company focused on leveraging technology to train whoever cared for those with developmental disabilities. The focus was on impacting all entities revolving around the care of this population. Rethink found extensive research on the effectiveness of video modeling for training and decided to combine this proven method of instruction with the medically recommended ABA treatment methodology, creating an online training, workflow automation, and support system for those with a developmental disability and their caregivers
About the CEO
A visionary and astute leader, Mr. Etra is the co-founder and CEO of Rethink. He was born and raised in New York City and has over three decades of successful international business experience, including 20 years as a serial entrepreneur. He was also the co-founder and CEO of R.E.R International, a leading global supplier of printed materials to the retail industry. He worked as a Consultant with Bain & Company, helping establish their NY office, and served as a Managing Director of Promodex Ltd. He also served in the Israel Defence Forces and worked at Wasserstein, Perella & Co., specializing in M&A in the fields of healthcare, technology, and natural resources. The accolades under his belt are numerous including the Inc. 500, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, Smart CEO Future 50, and CEO of the year from Industry Era and Corporate Vision Magazines. Mr. Etra completed his MBA at Harvard Business School and earned a BA in Economics from Yale University. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and actively participates in social welfare and volunteering.
Addressing a big problem
Seeking to address the significant dearth of trained professionals (only approximately 30,000 Board Certified Behavioural Therapists globally) available to meet the needs of a growing population with a developmental disability (approximately 450M globally). A scalable solution was created to support those in need no matter where they are located. Leveraging research-based strategies grounded in the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), the award-winning program includes over 1500 video-based demonstrations developed by experts to train caregivers, parents, professionals, and paraprofessional staff on how to manage problem behaviors, track progress in real-time, facilitate care coordination and automate the capture and analysis of outcomes data. In addition, Program Specialists can also utilize Rethink as a form of job-embedded professional development and to augment coaching caregivers and other support staff. Rethink also offers a range of technology-enabled remote service options, ranging from short-term web-based consultations with Rethink’s Board-certified behavioral therapists to ongoing program development initiatives supported by an in-house team of clinicians. In addition, Rethink’s practice management offering allows for the tracking of service authorizations and cost of treatment as it relates to clinical outcomes. Rethink serves individuals at all levels of development and ages ranging from point of diagnosis through early adulthood.
Continuous Innovation
Mr. Etra and his team believe innovation is first and foremost recognizing the problem in the market, understanding the customer’s needs, and then developing scalable solutions to address those needs. He further adds that the problem they solve is the exploding population with a developmental disability and the severe shortage of trained clinicians to serve them. The team shares a deep passion for social impact and offers robust, best-practice, and web-based tools that are incredibly easy to use, thereby driving scale and rapid adoption. An emerging trend nowadays is Big Data and AI, and Rethink is gathering the largest data set of outcomes that can be used to develop the right treatment protocols and facilitate the predictability of outcomes.
The experience of employees
Employee Benefits
- Industry-leading training and support platform
- Experience working with clients employing fewer than 1,000 employees to over 100,000 employees and impacting over 7 million lives
- It has a direct impact on productivity in their workplace for employees and helps employers create a culture of wellness for the entire workforce
Rethink Ed
- Offers industry-leading special needs management platform for public school districts
- Used by hundreds of districts in all 50 states of the USA
- Allows districts to fully meet Federal IDEA requirements and state mandates to provide an adequate education to students with special needs
- Train staff and measure progress of student population not subject to mainstream standardized testing
- Supports the mental health needs of the entire school district, both students and staff
A Case study on how Rethink brings a change
Mr. Etra explains that one of the most critical needs in employee benefits is supporting employees caring for a child with a developmental disability such as Autism or ADHD. Costco Wholesale went ahead with providing the Rethink program to these employees, which make up nearly 20% of Costco’s workforce. The Director of Employee Benefits at Costco, Donna Sexton, expressed, “I can’t think of any benefits we’ve ever added to our suite that got so much attention and so many letters to our president, thanking him for bringing the Rethink program on, and what a difference it made in their lives”.
Roadmap for the Future
Rethink is expanding beyond treatment tools and supports for dependents with development disabilities to adults with a developmental disability, including employees with Neuro diverse conditions. The recent pandemic has created additional strains and challenges, making the program even more important. In addition, they recently acquired While, a mental health and resiliency platform for employees.
A final message
A successful company does not happen overnight. Mr. Etra reminds us of an expression, “the 10-year overnight success” is true for successful entrepreneurs willing to pivot their business strategy to respond to changing market conditions, patiently play the long game and move the ball down the field little by little every day.
