How curaJOY started

The Toll of Continuous (and Ineffective) Therapy on a Family

For over five years, behavior therapists, counselors, and social workers came into our home 3 to 5 hours at a time, five days a week. My neurotypical daughter flipped out one day and said, “Mom, can we just have one dinner alone without somebody watching us?” I remember sobbing uncontrollably at church, away from the watchful eyes of my kids, feeling crushed between the multimillion-dollar deals I had just made, with people who staked their careers on me, and the crumbling, suffering mess at home. Despite every available help from the government, healthcare, and school systems, I eventually almost lost my daughter. I’ll give my daughters, who are both thriving now, the choice to share what happened when it’s no longer so raw and when they’re ready.

The Birth of a Nonprofit Driven by Conviction

When I started developing curaJOY, many savvy investors, close friends, and even family asked me why I made curaJOY a nonprofit when there’s clearly a desperate need (thus a strong business opportunity) for what we do. It is because of this conviction: Family emotional wellness is too important to be dragged down by business interests, personal egos, and bureaucracy! Supporting families’ social and mental health is the only reason why curaJOY exists, the basis of all our decisions, and I wanted it to stay that way forever.

The Need for a Movement Beyond Personal Gain

Illustration of a car with alarmed passengers labeled “Parental controls,” “Screen time lock,” and “Phone bans,” speeding with no brakes next to the text “GO BEYOND EYEBALLS—not addiction, pay for outcomes.”.
Emotional Wellness
Caitlyn Wang

Beyond Eyeballs: Pay for Outcomes, Not Addiction

After several high-stakes responsible-tech applications and helping my daughters through college applications, I finally took a Monday off. Sauna. Cold plunge. Steam. Massage. Except…everywhere the blue light from screens stole the stillness. Signs on the changing room doors banned phones; guests had signed waivers agreeing to it; steam rooms could

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curaJOY surveys 160 Youths on Effective Interventions" and "Youth Cyberbullying Support Survey.
Our Stories
Precious

Youth Cyberbullying: What 160 Young People told us

From WhatsApp to TikTok, young people share how cyberbullying impacts them and the fixes they believe in. Cyberbullying is one of the most pressing challenges facing young people today. To better understand its impact and explore what kinds of support actually help, we conducted a Youth Cyberbullying Support and Intervention

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A sad figure is confronted by an angry figure in person and online, with symbols and lightning bolts illustrating the effects of cyberbullying and highlighting different types of cyberbullying.
Research and Evidence
curaJOY Contributor

What Type of Cyberbullying Hurts the Most?

Precious Ojo Insights from 160 Young People Our lives are more online than ever and while digital spaces connect us, they also expose young people to toxic interactions that can leave long-term scars. To better understand the impact, the curaJOY Impact fellows conducted a anonymous survey asking youth: “Which type

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