Mental Health Apps Recommended by an Actual Mental Health Professional
With so many mental health apps available in the app store, knowing where to start, which reviews to trust, and which mental health apps are recommended by mental health professionals can be confusing.
In this blog, I give therapist approval on my top mobile mental health apps. With many mental health apps tested on my devices over the years, these recommendations are my top choices. I have personally used many of these mental health apps in my journey to improved well-being.
When You Need To Relax
Insight Timer
Insight timer isn’t a mental health app per se. However, it’s my top recommended app if you’re new to mindfulness and meditation. App users can select from a variety of teachings from some of the leaders in meditation and mindfulness. Imagine completing a meditation with Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, or Thich Nat Hanh. The app has courses, classes and individual sessions on a variety of topics from sleep to anxiety, mood, and relaxation. Insight timer currently has 267,000 free meditations available for listening.
The app also has a unique feature that gives a sense of community. After you complete a meditation, the app will show you how many users from around the world completed a meditation at the same time as you. You can choose to keep a very private profile, too. If you prefer a quick and silent meditation, use the timer feature to select your preferred bell tone and time length to do a meditation on your own. You can even keep a journal on the app to record your personal insights.
Overall, this app is a great place to begin the journey into meditation.
Pros: Thousand of meditations, talks and insights; great for beginners who want to dive in
Cost: Free, optional premium upgrade
Relax Melodies
Relax Melodies is my favourite mental health app for relaxation. After scouring the App Store for ambient sound apps many years ago, I stumbled across Relax Melodies. During a particularly stressful time, I found a melody that resonated with me and I played it during my commute and in the background during my workday. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it significantly helped to decrease anxiety and increase my sense of relaxation.
Relax Melodies features binaural beats to help with sleep, relaxation, concentration, and more. My favourite part is the library of ambient sounds—from single sounds, such as slow waves (my favourite for practicing calm breathing), birds chirping, rain falling and white noise—to soft, melodic instrumental music. This app allows you to make your own sound mixes to help you relax and feel more calm. You can also adjust the volume of the sounds you mix to your preference. Do you want to hear heavy rainfall and a quiet campfire? Quiet, slow waves with seaside sounds in the foreground? Relax Melodies also lets you add ambient sounds over songs in your music library, so you can close your eyes and relax to your favourite song with a cat purring and rain in the background (on the app!) The premium version includes additional sounds to increase your ambiance library—and if you ask me, it’s worth the upgrade. You can learn more about this mental health app at: https://www.relaxmelodies.com/
Pros: Mix your own ambient sounds, increase relaxation
Cost: Free, premium features are worth the upgrade!
When You Need To Calm Down
MindShift CBT – Anxiety Relief
MindShift CBT – Anxiety Relief is a free mental health app from Anxiety Canada that focuses on helping individuals recover from anxiety.
In its infancy, MindShift for mobile contained evidence-based research and information to empower users to identify anxiety triggers and learn practical strategies to reduce anxiety. Nowadays, MindShift has a sleek look for iPad and includes a mood check in feature, anxiety rating scale and symptom tracker. This provides an opportunity for app users to increase their awareness of the factors that contribute to anxiety.
As a bonus, app users can check in multiple times a day to track anxiety before, during and after tasks, to compare morning to evening anxiety, and so on. MindShift contains special topics like general worry, social anxiety, perfectionism, panic and phobias. Each section contains information, signs (body, mental and behavioural symptoms) and tips to help manage anxiety. The app also includes a tools section where users can practice healthy thinking, relaxation and behaviour exercises.
According to its creators, “MindShift can help you change how you think about anxiety” by making important shifts in thinking and behaving to help you better manage anxiety.
Pros: Exercises and information contained within this app are evidence based and proven to help reduce anxiety.
Cost: Free
Dare: Panic & Anxiety Relief
Dare is an evidence-based anxiety management app that aims to help users with anxiety, worry, panic, and sleep disturbance. It is inspired by the best-selling book, “Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks.” The book aims to not just control but stop anxiety and fear from running your life. The Dare app features over 100 audios, including meditations and guides to overcome anxiety and panic. You can choose from various anxiety reduction exercises, and join a DARE buddy group for support.
Pros: Evidence-based strategies for anxiety, anxiety audio guides, buddy group for anxiety support
Cost: Free, optional premium features
Special mentions: Move Mood (low mood and depression app), Clear Fear (manage anxiety app)
We Need to Talk
Gottman Card Decks
Gottman Card Decks relationship app is the ace in your sleeve. This app is for relationship fun, growth, and repair. Based on the revolutionary research by the Gottman Institute, this mental health app features various “cards” that you and your partner can swipe through to deepen your friendship and connection.
Many of the card “decks” are based on relationship principles adapted from extensive research on what makes healthy couples last. Question prompts dive into deepening connection, intimacy, expressing empathy, listening empathically, and expressing feelings. The questions and suggestions on this app are useful for couples in any situation.
The “Opportunities” card deck helps to spark specific ideas about creating special moments for your partner and making moments to remind your partner of their specialness. The app also features “Salsa” card decks intended to open conversation about sexual intimacy that includes suggestions, too. I recommend for both partners in a couple to download the app. Click the star icon on a card to identify your favourite questions and prompts to ask your partner.
Pros: Improve relationship quality and satisfaction, explore ways to spice up your sex life
Cost: Free
[Editor’s note: This blog written by Ashley Greensmyth is cross-posted at Parallel Wellness. Also published on: Therapy Route]
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