“There’s an app for that!” It used to be a tongue-in-cheek nod to the tidal wave of apps that were being created to meet every conceivable need—and some inconceivable ones too. There were apps to change your ringtone, apps to customize your background, apps to change your settings that could be managed perfectly well already, and apps to manage your apps.
There are still plenty of apps of questionable quality and necessity available, but the app craze has also led to the development of some really valuable, incredibly helpful, and even life-saving mental health apps.
Before you read on, we think you’ll enjoy our $1, 30-day trial of our mental health app Quenza, for full access to all of its tools and features. Designed by coaching and therapy professionals, our blended care app gives you all the tools you need to create and deliver customized mental healthcare solutions for your clients, so you can help them achieve maximum wellbeing.
Why Use Apps for Mental Health?
There are several reasons why it’s worth it to use apps in treating, maintaining, and working towards better mental health.
In a nutshell, these are greater convenience, ensuring compliance, and tracking patient progress.
- Convenience
Gone are the days when people take home sheets of paper and complete their homework sitting at a desk.
Now, most people—especially young people—complete assignments on a digital device and often on the go. Even if the exercises and techniques haven’t changed much, the format has certainly been updated.
In blended therapy, this applies to interventions and exercises that can now be completed on the go:
This is where smartphone and other mobile apps like Quenza come in – by making exercises available online, they essentially make mental health more easily accessible.
- Compliance
With automatic reminders, push notifications, and digital pop-ups, it’s now a breeze to stay on track. You don’t need to tie a string around your finger or set an alarm clock when your app can take care of that for you. Even if we have the best of intentions, our memory can fail us at times.
With an app that reminds you at regular intervals, you’re much more likely to actually do the work – it’s why reminders and notifications are a standard feature of the most effective mental health applications:
Notifications and to-dos from a mental health app can play a valuable role in building and maintaining client engagement in therapy. Over time, this can mean that users are more likely to stick with treatment long enough for it to be effective.
- Tracking
You can complete regular entries in a journal and be very consistent, but if you want to do any sort of analysis on your progress, you’ll need to dig through your entries one by one. When you use an app, that tracking happens automatically. Most apps in the mental health arena offer ways to plot and review your progress over time.
It’s clear that apps can be really beneficial for therapists and coaches, as well as their clients. Now, the trouble is figuring out which ones are worth the download.
That’s where this piece can help.
6 Best Mental Health Apps for Psychologists
If you’re a psychologist, professional counselor, or another type of mental health care provider, there are several apps that can help you run your practice and improve your effectiveness.
Check out the tables below for six of the best available apps.
App | Details |
 | With Power Diary‘s tools, practitioners can streamline:
|
| Name | Power Diary |
| Price | $5+ weekly |
| Good For | Coaches, solo practitioners |
| Website | https://powerdiary.com/ |
App | Details |
 | Quenza gives practitioners:
|
| Name | Quenza |
| Price | $1+ monthly |
| Good For | Solo practitioners, Coaches, Mental Health Providers |
| Website | https://quenza.com/ |
App | Details |
 | Full Slate is ideal for:
|
| Name | Full Slate |
| Price | $29.95+ monthly |
| Good For | Solo Practitioners, Small Businesses |
| Website | https://fullslate.com/ |
App | Details |
 | TheraNest is good for:
|
| Name | TheraNest |
| Price | $39+ monthly |
| Good For | Solo practitioners and small to large businesses |
| Website | https://theranest.com/ |
App | Details |
 | DoTimely supports:
|
| Name | DoTimely |
| Price | Free (basics) to $15+ month |
| Good For | Solo providers, Small businesses |
| Website | https://dotimely.com/ |
Tool | Details |
 | Acuity’s features include:
|
| Name | Acuity Scheduling |
| Price | $14+ monthly |
| Good For | Solo practitioners and small to large businesses |
| Website | https://acuityscheduling.com/ |
Top 8 Apps to Recommend to Your Clients
If you’re looking for apps that you can recommend to your clients for their own personal use, there are tons of options there as well.
See the table below for 8 great apps that can help users manage, track, and improve their own mental health.
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | MoodKit |
| Good for | Anyone who wants to boost their own mood |
| Price | $4.99 |
| Link | https://www.thriveport.com/products/moodkit/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Panic Relief |
| Good for | Anyone who struggles with anxiety or panic attacks |
| Price | $0.99 |
| Link | Google Play or App Store |
App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Headspace |
| Good for | Anyone who would like to be more mindful |
| Price | Free (basics) or $12.99/month (access to all content) |
| Link | htttps://www.headspace.com/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Happify |
| Good for | People who want to be happier, more mindful, and more resilient |
| Price | $11.67 – $14.99/month (based on billing) or $449.99 (lifetime membership) |
| Link | https://www.happify.com/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Calm |
| Good for | Anyone interested in meditation, mindfulness, and better sleep |
| Price | $69.99/year or $399.99 (lifetime membership) |
| Link | https://blog.calm.com/about |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Talkspace |
| Good for | People who want to work with a therapist but may struggle to do so in person |
| Price | $260/month and up |
| Link | https://www.talkspace.com/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Sanvello |
| Good for | People with stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma-related conditions |
| Price | Free (basic app) or $8.99/month and up (self-care portion) |
| Link | https://www.sanvello.com/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Worry Watch |
| Good for | Anyone who worries more than they’d like |
| Price | $3.99 |
| Link | http://worrywatch.com/ |
11 Free Options
The apps listed above are all great apps, and their value far outweighs their cost; however, you know that some clients simply don’t have the extra funds to spend on apps.
Luckily, there are tons of free options available for these clients. Consider offering the 11 free mental health apps below as recommendations to your clients on a budget.
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | MindShift |
| Good for | People with anxiety |
| Link | https://www.anxietycanada.com/resources/mindshift-cbt/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Breathe2Relax |
| Good for | Anyone who wants better strategies for dealing with stress |
| Link | App Store or Google Play Store |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Optimism |
| Good for | Anyone interested in practicing gratitude |
| Link | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/optimism-a-gratitude-journal/id1503981169 |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | SAM: Self Help for Anxiety Management |
| Good for | People struggling with anxiety |
| Link | https://sam-app.org.uk/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | IntelliCare Hub |
| Good for | People who want help managing their depression or anxiety |
| Link | https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actualizetherapy.actualizehub&hl=en_US&gl=US |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | CPT Coach |
| Good for | People with PTSD |
| Link | https://mobile.va.gov/app/cpt-coach |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | MindDoc |
| Good for | People struggling with their emotional well-being |
| Link | https://mymoodpath.com/en/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | TalkLife |
| Good for | People who are feeling lonely or struggling with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or self-harm |
| Link | https://www.talklife.co/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | MoodTools |
| Good for | Anyone struggling with feelings of sadness or depression |
| Link | https://www.moodtools.org/ |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | CBT-i Coach |
| Good for | People with insomnia who are in CBT |
| Link | https://mobile.va.gov/app/cbt-i-coach |
| App | Details |
 |
|
| Name | Insight Timer |
| Good for | People interested in meditation and mindfulness |
| Link | https://insighttimer.com/ |
Final Thoughts
This piece introduced 25 different mental health-related apps that can provide mood-boosting, practice-improving, and life-enhancing value. While these 25 apps made the cut for inclusion here, there are tons of other apps out there that you may find to be effective for your or your clients.
Do some research on apps in your specialty and try some of them out for yourself to ensure you’re recommending only the best for your clients.
The bottom line is that apps are the therapeutic tools of the future. If you want to offer your clients the most impactful tools for growth, healing, and self-development, you’ll want to start incorporating apps like these.
We hope you enjoyed this review. To deliver your own unique solutions through a mental health app, don’t forget to check out our $1, 30-day practitioner trial of Quenza.
Our software is a complete mental health app for coaches, psychotherapists, and professional counselors, and will give you all the features and tools you need to share engaging online client interventions with those you help, so you can improve their wellbeing for the long run.