In a significant strategic maneuver designed to confront the growing crisis in specialized mental health services, leading virtual provider for obsessive-compulsive disorder NOCD has officially acquired Rebound Health, a specialized virtual clinic for trauma and PTSD. This landmark acquisition aims to create one of the nation’s most comprehensive virtual care platforms for severe mental illnesses, addressing a profound and often unmet need for accessible, evidence-based treatment. The union also marks the launch of a new parent brand, Noto, which will house both NOCD and Rebound Health and leverage a proprietary AI-powered platform to scale operations and improve clinical outcomes nationwide.
When the Right Help is Out of Reach Bridging the Gap in Specialized Mental Health Care
The mission to transform mental healthcare is deeply rooted in the personal experiences of the companies’ founders, whose own struggles illuminated critical flaws in the existing system. Stephen Smith, founder and CEO of NOCD, was driven to create the platform after his arduous battle with OCD. He faced the all-too-common obstacles of initial misdiagnosis, prohibitive out-of-pocket costs, and dauntingly long wait times for a qualified specialist, a journey that fueled his determination to build a more accessible and effective alternative for others.
Similarly, Rebound Health was born from a place of lived experience. Co-founder and CEO Raeva Kumar, a trauma survivor, discovered the power of specialized, evidence-based therapy in her own recovery. Her path inspired the creation of a clinical service dedicated to offering the same high standard of trauma-informed care that she found so transformative. This shared origin story, one of turning personal adversity into a universal solution, forms the ethical bedrock of the newly combined entity.
A core deficiency identified by both founders was the glaring scarcity of clinicians trained in the specific, evidence-based modalities required to treat complex conditions like OCD and PTSD. Patients often languish for months or even years on waitlists, only to find that available therapists lack the necessary expertise in treatments such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) or Prolonged Exposure (PE). This shortage creates a bottleneck that leaves millions without effective care.
Moreover, a fundamental gap in traditional therapy models is the lack of structured support between appointments. Patients grappling with severe symptoms are often left to manage intense distress and challenging moments on their own, a vulnerability that can stall progress and increase the risk of relapse. Both NOCD and Rebound Health were built to address this by integrating continuous support systems, ensuring patients feel connected and guided throughout their entire treatment journey.
A Strategic Alliance to Scale Specialized Care
The acquisition represents a deliberate fusion of two market leaders, uniting NOCD’s established infrastructure in OCD treatment with Rebound Health’s specialized expertise in trauma disorders. NOCD has already been treating co-occurring PTSD among its patient population for the past several years, with over 100 of its therapists trained in Prolonged Exposure therapy. Integrating Rebound Health’s dedicated team and clinical protocols will substantially deepen this capability, formalizing a robust service line for trauma care. The primary goal of this alliance is to dramatically expand access to high-quality treatment for PTSD and complex PTSD, leveraging NOCD’s extensive network and payer relationships to bring Rebound Health’s services to millions of individuals across all 50 states.
This strategic expansion is facilitated under a new parent brand named Noto. The name, derived from the Latin word for “to be known,” reflects a core mission to see, understand, and effectively treat individuals suffering from often misunderstood conditions. Noto is not merely a brand but also the name of the proprietary technology platform that has powered NOCD’s success. The vision for Noto extends beyond OCD and PTSD; it is designed to be a multi-specialty virtual care ecosystem capable of launching and scaling new services for other severe and underserved mental health conditions in the future, creating a comprehensive network of specialized care.
Noto The AI Powered Engine Driving the Expansion
The Noto platform operates on a sophisticated three-pillar framework designed to optimize every aspect of virtual care delivery. The first pillar focuses on automating administrative and payer operations. By streamlining complex processes like revenue cycle management and therapist credentialing with insurance networks, Noto reduces operational friction and allows for greater investment in clinical quality and patient-facing services. This administrative efficiency is crucial for scaling specialized care in a financially sustainable way.
The second pillar is dedicated to enhancing member identification and engagement. The platform utilizes targeted awareness campaigns to reach individuals who may be struggling in silence, guiding them toward appropriate resources. Once connected, members are engaged through personalized community feeds, self-help tools, and expert-led live events, creating a supportive ecosystem that helps identify those who need clinical intervention and seamlessly enrolls them into care.
For its clinical network, the third pillar empowers therapists with a suite of advanced AI-enabled tools. Noto facilitates AI-assisted clinical interviewing to identify and hire the most qualified specialists. It then provides a specialized training and development experience to ensure clinical fidelity. During treatment, AI-powered notetaking significantly reduces the administrative burden on clinicians, allowing them to focus more on patient care, while automated member outreach and robust outcomes tracking ensure treatment efficacy is continuously monitored and improved.
The Clinical Framework How Effective Treatment is Delivered
The clinical success of the combined organization rests on its unwavering commitment to evidence-based treatment models. For OCD, the gold standard is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, a behavioral therapy that helps individuals confront their intrusive thoughts and resist the urge to perform compulsive rituals. For PTSD, the primary modality is Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy, which helps patients process traumatic memories and reduce trauma-related avoidance and distress. By adhering strictly to these scientifically validated approaches, the platform ensures members receive the most effective care possible.
Treatment is delivered through an intensive and high-touch care structure designed for severe conditions. Patients typically begin with twice-weekly therapy sessions to build momentum and establish a strong therapeutic alliance. As symptoms improve, the frequency gradually tapers to weekly sessions and eventually to periodic maintenance check-ins. To bridge the gap between appointments, members have access to crucial support tools, including asynchronous messaging with their therapist for guidance and peer support communities that foster a sense of connection and shared experience.
Central to the organization’s philosophy is a therapy-first approach. The clinical model is built on the principle that treating the root condition—be it OCD or PTSD—will lead to the alleviation of secondary symptoms like generalized anxiety or depression. This focused strategy allows for deep specialization. Consequently, the model concentrates exclusively on therapy and behavioral interventions; for members who may benefit from medication, the company provides referrals to external prescribers, ensuring a collaborative yet distinct approach to care.
Validating the Model Through Research and Real World Impact
The efficacy of NOCD’s model is substantiated by rigorous clinical research and real-world data. A large-scale study published in 2025, involving over 2,100 children and adolescents, demonstrated that an average of 13 virtual ERP sessions resulted in a 37% reduction in OCD symptom severity. Over half of the young participants experienced a clinically significant decrease in symptoms, affirming the model’s effectiveness in a pediatric population.
Further peer-reviewed research has validated the impact of the platform’s integrated support systems. One study found that members who actively engaged with NOCD’s peer support communities completed 30% more therapy hours than their counterparts. This increased engagement correlated with a statistically significant improvement on the OCD symptom severity scale, highlighting the value of a holistic support structure in achieving superior clinical outcomes.
This clinical success has been matched by strong financial performance and market penetration. Having raised $90 million in funding to date, NOCD has successfully scaled its operations to a point of near financial breakeven, a significant achievement in the virtual health sector. Through strategic partnerships with major insurance payers, the company has secured in-network access for 140 million commercially insured individuals, firmly establishing its model as a viable, scalable, and essential component of the modern healthcare landscape. This foundation provided the stability and reach necessary to acquire Rebound Health and embark on this new chapter of expanded care.
