Apps for Mental Health Therapists
This chart contains a listing of Apps for therapy or pertaining to therapeutic uses found in the Apple and Android App stores. Some Apps are for clinical mental health treatment purposes and others are for fun, client awareness or clinical reference. Before you recommend an App for a mental health client, be sure to test it out to ensure that the material is appropriate and fits the aptitude and clinical need of the counseling client. If we have missed any apps for counseling or mental health treatment that you have found effective, please let us know. If you would like more information on creating mental health Apps or using Apps in psychotherapy, send us a note through the contact form.
A discussion thread on Apps in mental health therapy is at the end of this chart.
If you have a mental health App you would like to recommend or if you would like to discuss creating an App for psychotherapy, you can contact Jay Ostrowski via email: [email protected]. Behavioral Health Innovation makes no warranties or claims regarding the usefulness of any of the above listed Apps and is not liable for the use or distribution of these products or services.
4 Comments
How to Use Apps in Psychotherapy
There are MANY uses for Apps, but if you are brand new to using Apps in therapy, start by considering what you already use and see if there is a cross over product. The best way to start using Apps in therapy is to find ways to use an App to do what you already recommend to clients. Make sure that the recommendation fits the therapeutic goals of the client and the client has a clear rational for using it. I tend to frame this as an “experiment” to gather more information for a few days. Clients, unless they are compulsive, usually wane in compliance after a few few days anyway, so suggest they collect for a few days and save the information for the next meeting.
Have you ever had a client that could use a little more self-awareness? Ever wish you could collect more information to understand the extent of the client’s issue or help the client identify patterns? Does your client wonder if the medication really making a difference? Of course, the answer is “Yes” to all of these. Collecting information is one of the most basic (and easy) uses for Apps. Asking your client to log the “moment,” or collect information at different prescribed intervals could bring in valuable data into therapy. Imagine a client brining in a completed chart of the targeted emotions or behaviors and corresponding notes for those times.
A cautionary note on intervention Apps. Make sure that you are comfortable with the developer and material in the App. The FDA is working on regulations to monitor and regulate Apps that are relied upon for clinical decision-making and interventions. Until Apps are regulated, counselors should treat Apps like they would a self-help book and ensure that the materials are sound and appropriate to the client. There are a lot of Apps on the market that are simply entertaining or poorly done. So take a moment and try out an App and test it before you recommend it.
Once you are ready to recommend an App for therapy, take a moment and walk through using the app in session. This will help the client clearly understand what is expected and help the therapist identify any client’s limitations. Be clear on the expectations for use and the worth of the material gathered. Focus on the material rather than the technology. Keep the time interval for the App use short. Make sure the client is comfortable with the user agreement for the App. Do not have them email the results or post them on social media sites that are not HIPAA compliant.
The App will not replace the therapist, as many in mental health fear. We are not working towards the counselor saying “Take two Apps and call me next week.” Apps, like assessments, self-help materials and worksheets, serve as enhancements to the therapy process. Uses of Apps in therapy are as individual as the therapy session. Experiment with some of the Apps and post some feedback on your experiences.
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Jay – l like the broad range of subjects, will have to check them out to determine depth and how/whether to use with clients. As a therapist working with individuals and families who struggle with SPMI, I appreciate comments and cautionary directives. It’s important to be mindful that although the therapist may assume or expect that a client will understand and integrate therapeutic information, there is no way to know how a client may process and interpret, and no guarantee that a client will feel “safely vulnerable” with enhanced self awareness. Thanks for your efforts in compiling the lists and including supervisory comments. Apps can be very helpful, but there is no “Easy Button” – – for therapists or clients – – for managing daily or lifelong mental health issues.
Hi Neal. Thanks for the comments. Mental health Apps are tools that can help gather data, educate clients and act as an adjunct tool in therapy. If you try any apps, please let us know what you use and how you use them so that we can begin vetting these and find the best for us all.
You should take a look at my wife’s app ‘Couples Counseling & Chatting’ on android. Its the number one counseling app on android after one month with 20,000 downloads, and the highest ranked free therapy app. Also available on iPhone. She’s been a therapist for 25yrs.
You can read more at http://www.psychedbymg.com.
NY Times did an article on her and the app on March 11th
A great Mental Health App that can be utilized as both a tool for collecting data and aiding clinicians and their clients in therapy is the App Mobile Therapy. Mobile Therapy is a Mental Health App that enables clinicians and their clients to work in unison to bridge the gaps between therapy visits. Check out http://www.mobiletherapy.com to learn more about science behind this innovative application.