Friday, March 28, 2014

Free & Useful Self-Help Apps

In today's modern smart phone world, there are many available apps (both free and for purchase) on Iphones for clients to utilize to enhance the counseling experience.  I thought it would be helpful to share some of my favorite free apps:
  • Anxiety Free:  Self-hypnosis to reduce anxiety and its associated negative consequences (free).
  • Breathe2Relax: Stress management tool using diaphragmatic breathing (free).
  • Relax Melodies: White noise for sleep, meditation, or yoga (free).
  • Personal Zen: Game that trains your brain to look to for the positive and avoid the negatives, it's a fun yet effective way to reduce stress and boost well-being (free).
  • ReliefLink: Tracks and monitors your mood and behaviors, safety plan tools, appointment reminders, built-in coping tools, and an emergency button (free).
  • MyFitnessPal: Counts your calories and tracks your exercise activities, great program if you're trying to lose weight (free).
  • Unstuck: Kick-start success for specific kinds of stuck moments, helps you to make decisions, set plans, get motivated, etc. (free).
  • PTSD Coach: Great app for Veterans or Service Members who have or may have PTSD, provides educational information, self-assessment, opportunities to find support, and tools to help manage stress (free).
  • iQuit: Helps you to quit smoking using the "scheduled reduction" method (free).
The above apps are available through the App Store or Itunes.

www.thrivecounselingcenterllc.com

2 comments:

  1. I think one of the biggest obstacles for people considering therapy is where to start. Google search, yellow pages? Who do you call, what are their specialties? How do you make an appointment? I think the fact that they are thinking they might want therapy is paralyzing to a degree and how to take the next step is a real challenge.

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  2. Great comment Starr, I believe all of these questions and concerns are valid when a person is questioning the thought of therapy. One great place for a person to start is by first visiting his or her primary physician so that any physical illness can be ruled out and the physician can provide recommendations to further help based on the patient's need.

    Another great starting place in the states is a site called Psychology Today which offers a "Find a Therapist" feature where they have certified the counselors on their list at www.psychologytoday.com. Through this site you can see biographical information, specialties, location, fees and insurance, and phone numbers of counselors. This is a great way to search for a counselor by location, price, or specialty.

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