• by Teresa Buyikian , Les Luchter , Yesterday

Anyone who’s ever tried to drown their blues in a pint of Rocky Road knows ice cream can function like a dose of Xanax in a pinch.

Now, a pint container from Van Leeuwen ice cream extends those benefits to a real therapy session.

To celebrate this May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, the chain has teamed up with behavioral healthcare provider Rula to launch “Therapy in a Pint.”

In select scoop shops nationwide, $7.95 buys what the brand has deemed to be the “first-ever empty pint of ice cream.” When customers open it, they get a slip with a QR code good for a session with Rula. They also get a separate scoop of any Van Leeuwen ice cream flavor they choose. Since a scoop of ice cream at Van Leeuwen typically costs the same $7.95, consumers are essentially getting their therapy session as a free add-on. 

Each pint also sports the logos of both brands and a “Mental Health Awareness Month” header.

With that in mind, the special menu item will be available only during May, “while supplies last.”

An even shorter promotion kicks off the tie-in May 6 as the brands dispense free “Therapy in a Pint” containers and scoops at downtown New York’s Zucotto Park between noon and 7 pm.

Six influencers have been tapped to attend the event and post content drumming up buzz for the in-store product.

Paid media promoting “Therapy in a Pint” includes 15 animated videos and static carousels on Meta and TikTok geo-targeted in New York City, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, as well as partnerships with The Skimm and Eater.

“One of our core values is a good state of mind,” said Ben Van Leeuwen, co-founder and CEO of Van Leeuwen, in a release. “This partnership with Rula reflects that broader commitment in a thoughtful way during Mental Health Awareness Month.”

Rula says the Van Leeuwen tie-in is part of “Turn off the Talk Track,” its first national campaign, which launched in March. At the time, the brand’s CEO-founder stressed to Marketing Daily that “too many people get stuck in their own head about starting therapy, but the truth is, getting support is easier than you think. At Rula, we’re focused on removing those barriers so people can take that first step.”

Now, “Therapy in a Pint…makes the path to support as easy and approachable as enjoying your favorite scoop of ice cream,” Rula says in its press release announcing the Van Leeuwen tie-in.