Mental Health Apps
Mental Health Apps have a range of potential benefits that make them appealing to many people. They are convenient and accessible and can be a great resource for people who are looking for an efficient, affordable way to learn more about therapeutic tools and supplement their own therapy.
It is always advisable to research reviews on different options available. Always give careful consideration to privacy, efficacy, and affordability. You can find up-to-date information and reviews on One Mind.
BU offers the app, Headspace free of charge to BU employees. It offers guided meditation and other practices for cultivating mindfulness and mental well-being.
A Few Other Mental Health Apps That We Recommend
What’s Up This is a free app that offers CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) methods to help you cope with Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Stress. It includes an assortment of different options including diary and habit tracking, psychoeducation and other coping strategies. While this is a free app, there are costs associated with upgrading. They refer to the charges as donations and they say that they will work with anyone of any financial means.
Mood Kit is an app designed to help you apply effective strategies of professional psychology to your everyday life. Their tools are based upon the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It includes a thought checker, mood tracker, and journal. It is one of the more affordable apps with a fee of only $5.00. It does require significant personal motivation and time investment for benefit.
Self-Help for Anxiety Management (SAM) is an app for individuals experiencing symptoms of anxiety. It provides users with a symptom tracker, psychoeducation, relaxation strategies and additional coping skills and tools for managing anxiety. SAM also includes a “Social Cloud,” a closed social networking function that allows users to share experiences, suggestions, and support. The app is free. The technology is basic so a great option for someone who likes to keep it simple.
Sanvello is and app that offers resources for self-care and self-management, peer support, coaching, and therapy. The app includes everything from journaling and mood tracking (enhanced by integration with wearable like the Apple watch). Although the premium version costs $8.99 a month, much of the content is available for free. app’s costs are covered by numerous insurance companies and employers. Insomnia Coach Insomnia Coach is a free and publicly available mobile app to help you learn about insomnia and normal sleep, develop good sleep habits and get rid of habits that interfere with sleep. Insomnia Coach can be used as a stand-alone education and self-care tool, or as a supplement to professional mental health care. This app is based upon scientific research about how people can change their behaviors and thoughts to improve their sleep.
CBT-i Coach – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an evidence-based psychotherapy for treating insomnia. CBT-i Coach is a mobile app for people who are engaged in CBT-I with a health provider, or who have experienced symptoms of insomnia and would like to improve their sleep habits. It features education about CBT-i and how sleep works and tips to help develop positive sleep routines and improve sleep environments. CBT-i Coach is intended to be used alongside face-to-face care with a healthcare professional. CBT-i Coach can be used on its own, but it is not intended to replace therapy.
Insomnia Coach – Insomnia Coach can be used as a stand-alone education and self-care tool, or as a supplement to professional mental health care, to help manage insomnia. It is not intended to replace therapy. The app is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). This app is based upon scientific research about how people can change their behaviors and thoughts to improve their sleep.