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August 17, 2018

Great Apps For Therapy Assistance



There are numerous apps out there than can help improve your mental health and welfare

It’s hard to know which are the best, especially in such a crowded marketplace. So, we asked Clarity Clinic for some advice and they duly provided.

Recognizing And Redirecting Negative Thoughts

Thought Diary Pro (iTunes, $4.99)

The Thought Diary Pro app lets users build a log of worrisome thoughts. Each thought is time-logged and the app allows you to make notes on the significance and consequences related to it. Over time, the app highlights "cognitive distortions" (i.e. erroneous thoughts) and asks you to replace negative thoughts with accurate and productive ones. The app can be directly linked to email in order to send results to a therapist. The app is also effective for users practicing CBT on their own.



Cognitive Diary CBT Self Help (Google Play, free)

This Android (News - Alert) app works similar to Thought Diary Pro. Users can record negative thoughts, challenge them, and track their progress.

Mood Improvement

Moodkit (iTunes, $4.99)

Designed by CBT experts, the Moodkit app provides a range of tools to combat negative thoughts and feelings. It includes a "thought checker" module that will track distressing situations and thoughts, evaluate them, and suggest healthier alternatives. The app also includes a mood tracker for progress monitoring. You can preserve additional notes in the built-in journal. Moodkit works as both an adjunct to professional therapy and as a standalone tool.

Depression CBT Self-Help Guide (Google (News - Alert) Play, free)

This app does more than simply share helpful advice. It runs a screening test to help you identify and monitor your moods. There is also a thought diary designed to pinpoint stressful thought patterns. The app has useful CBT articles and the ability to track progress over time.

Improving Sleep (Quantity & Quality)

CBT-i Coach (iTunes & Google Play, free)

CBT is a powerful tool for treating insomnia. The CBT-i Coach app was developed by therapists at Stanford University and the Veterans Administration. The app improves your quality of sleep and promotes healthier routines. You can build a sleep diary; the app uses this to create a personalized "sleep prescription." It can also remind your goals. The app delivers the sort of structure that has been clinically proven to alleviate insomnia and improve sleep quality. The CBT-i Coach app is designed to supplement professional counseling. While it can be used effectively on its own, it cannot replace expert therapy for those who need it.

Treating Anxiety

Mayo Clinic Anxiety Coach (iTunes, $4.99)

This app, designed by the Mayo Clinic's foremost anxiety experts, helps people deal with general anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, or specific phobias. The user is asked to identify their specific fears. The app helps create a list of challenging tasks that will help the user overcome his or her fear. In response to an anxiety about meeting new people, for example, the app might suggest that you chat with an employee at a store. The app lets you rate your anxiety level, role-play through the scenario, and then re-check your fears. You can log your anxiety levels each time you tackle the challenge in real life. The app has a checkup section that tracks users' progress. It also has useful information about phobias, anxiety, and CBT. The app is usable by itself, but its makers note that it is not a replacement for expert therapeutic help.

Treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Live OCD Free (iTunes, $29.99)

Developed by Dr. Mulcahy (who has a financial interest in the app), Live OCD Free works according to "exposure and response prevention" principles. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized mainly by compulsive behaviors and obsessive thoughts. Dr. Mulcahy notes that the exposure and response prevention technique is highly structured, fitting in well with the capabilities of an app. It helps users reduce their symptoms by acclimating them to situations that formerly provoked anxiety. Compulsive urges are resisted, reducing the overall expression of OCD symptoms. Users build their own hierarchy of "exposures" on the app, including anxiety-producing situations like making a mess or touching a doorknob. The app also discourages users from engaging in compulsive compensating behaviors, such as repetitive hand-washing. Frequent practice makes it easier for users to resist their compulsions. Their anxiety levels drop. The Live OCD Free app is currently being studied clinically at Brown University's Butler Hospital and the McLean Hospital's OCD Institute. There is a special edition of the app designed for children. It works as an adjunct to professional therapy or on its own.



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