There’s an App for
That
Nicole J. Rafanello, Ph.D.
Why Recommend Apps
to Patients?
• Generalization of treatment
benefits and fostering of skills
across environments
• Data collection is easy and fast
• Pocket resource-24/7
Types of Apps we are
presenting
• Practice Apps
• Mindfulness
• Balances out ill-effects of phones
• Helps with resourcing in PTSD
patients
• Can sometimes engage hard to
reach clients (e.g. teens, socially
anxious, spectrum disorders, adhd)
Nicole J. Rafanello, Ph.D.
• Diary Card
• Distractor Apps
• Behavioral
Purpose of Mindfulness Apps
• Promote attention, impulse
control, forethought, planning,
and insight-executive
functioning
• Promote relaxation, breathing
control, and well-being
• Can schedule reminders and
ticklers to prompt a moment to
pause, check your mood, and
use metacognitive skills
Nicole J. Rafanello, Ph.D.
• Mindfulness Apps
•
Mindfulness Daily - $1.99 – offers in
app purchases, IOS only
•
7’s Meditation - Free – offers in app
purchases, IOS only
•
SoundsTrue - Free – offers in app
purchases, IOS only
•
Zen Friend – Free – IOS and
Android, multiple languages
•
Breathe 2 Relax – Free – IOS and
Android
•
SoundCloud – Free – IOS and
Android
Purpose of Diary Card Apps
• Ability to foster insight and selfawareness
• Encourage and reinforce use of
skills
• Data collection – baseline and
change
• Offers interactive temporary
skills coaching
• Gradiation of emotions and
behaviors to allow for earlier
detection, intervention, and insight
• Ability to identify patterns and
antecedents to behavior over timecan be used in conjunction with
behavioral chain analyses
• Easy to collect
• Offers charts and easy to email
results to therapist automatically
Nicole J. Rafanello, Ph.D.
• Can describe, quantify, and
manage target behaviorscutting incompatible with using
the phone
• Can provide data and
information for insurance
reimbursement
Diary Card Apps
•Stop, Breathe, and Think – Free IOS and Android
•DBT Diary Card – $4.99 - IOS only
•Pacifica – Free - IOS and Android
•Recovery Key - $5.99 - IOS only
Nicole J. Rafanello, Ph.D.
Purpose of Behavioral Apps
• Education
• Behavioral Apps
• Awareness
• Recovery Key - $5.99 –
IOS only
• Pocket Resource 24/7
• One-stop shoppingincorporates many
aspects of the other apps
• Many adhere to a theory
of treatment
Nicole J. Rafanello, Ph.D.
• PTSD Coach – Free –
IOS and Android
Purpose of Fun/Distractor Apps
• Moment to pause
• Distraction/Imagery
• Fun/Distractor Apps
• Deep Calm – Free - IOS only,
multiple languages
• Distress Tolerance
• Puzzler – Free - IOS only
• Delay of
Response/inhibition
• Multiple Mindless/Strategy
Games various prices
• Relaxation/well-being
• ITunes – Free - IOS only
• Planning pleasant activities
• White Noise and/or Relaxing
• Self-soothing with senses
Nicole J. Rafanello, Ph.D.
Sounds - Free – IOS, other versions
for Android
Warnings/Disclaimers
• Never to be used instead of or to replace
professional help but instead to enhance its
effects - it’s not a pocket therapist
• Connection to a human is better!
• There are many problematic apps and apps
that can be destructive
• Social media
• Blogs that promote violence/self-harm
Nicole J. Rafanello, Ph.D.