Relvema is a therapy companion app built for the hours when you are not in therapy, and it all started with Pavel Stepanov, a student who saw how his friends were frustrated by not seeing the progress they hoped for in therapy.
Stepanov began interviewing clinicians about where progress stalls, and the same pattern kept surfacing: The work done in the room dissolved in the week between appointments.
The research demonstrates that as well. He explained that about one in five clients drop out before completing therapy, according to a meta-analysis of 669 studies.
Stepanov, a computer science and AI master’s degree student, decided to create an app to solve this dilemma. He developed Relvema, a platform to help patients and therapists between the hours when they’re not in therapy sessions. He acknowledges that therapy works — yet the hours in between are the ones that are critical for improvements and setbacks.
To help patients see more progress, the app gives them summaries of their sessions, reflections to complete, reminders about their appointments, mood tracking and more features that aid patients in remaining in therapy and actually remembering the insights the therapists gave them.
For therapists, this platform can minimize their administrative load. Instead of therapists focusing hours on notes, documentation and boring administrative tasks, they can focus on what they really love doing: talking to patients.
AI is revolutionizing the job market, the economy and what our future will look like. It can also be a useful tool for therapists; AI can take over mundane administrative tasks while therapists stay present and focus completely on the patient’s dilemma. This could ultimately change how we experience and conduct therapy, making it easier to connect with your therapist and see progress rapidly.
One year ago, Stepanov and his classmates took second place at UM’s Engineering Pitch and Innovation Challenge (EPIC 2025) with an early version of what was soon to become Relvema.
That achievement has now led to a fully functional and HIPPA-secured platform ready for therapists to confidently use with clients in a variety of languages and settings. Stepanov hopes patients and therapists will download the app and use it all over the U.S., so that people can get more out of therapy or counseling.
So if you’re reading this and resonate with that feeling that you also don’t think therapy is doing enough for you during the week, talk to your therapist about using Relvema during your next sessions.
If you are struggling with a mental health crisis, you can always call 988 or call the UM Counseling Center to get the support you need.