BetterUp Canada launches multi-year coaching study for Ontario first responders

BetterUp Canada, the Canadian arm of coaching company BetterUp, announced the Ontario Frontline Study on 9 October 2026, ahead of World Mental Health Day. The company described it as a multi-year research programme testing whether personalised coaching can build resilience, lower stress and improve wellbeing among first responders and healthcare workers. It said the study is run in partnership with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario.

The coaching method was developed with psychologist Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, who has sat on BetterUp's science board since 2018. Seligman said the study aims to test whether psychological resilience can be built before people reach crisis and whether that protects them from the strain of high-stress jobs. Lesley Lutes of the University of British Columbia Okanagan, an adviser, said most mental health resources in Canada currently sit in the private sector.

Eligible first responders and healthcare workers in Ontario can receive six months of free one-to-one coaching and may be paid for taking part, according to the company. BetterUp Canada said it is headquartered in Toronto and that the study is its flagship research initiative. The company listed existing Canadian clients including EllisDon, Loblaw Companies and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, along with a long-running engineering internship programme with the University of Waterloo.