Get H-appy (Find the right App for you)

I am sure in years to come historians will look back on this time and recognise it as the Smartphone Era. The ripples created by Smartphones have washed over almost every facet of our lives.

Long gone are the days when a psychologist simply relies on published self help books or bundles of photocopies to support out of session “homework”. Oh no, these days there is an App for almost every occasion. I say almost because by looking closely there are gaps, areas that are not yet well covered by existing apps. The Online Psychology industry is fast paced and no doubt someone is working away at plugging these gaps already.

For the average practitioner or individuals looking to take some positive steps toward H-appiness – the world of App’s can quickly become very confusing! There are huge variations in terms of quality, evidence base, ease of use, cost and reliability. I have decided to share with you my favourite Apps. Please note that I am not affiliated with any of these Apps and I do not benefit in any way shape or form.

Headspace is my ultimate favourite App… (I know these are strong words and trust me they are only used because of the outstanding results I have noticed for clients and myself).

Insight Timer Insight Timer… I learnt about this one at my local yoga class …. it is a beautiful chime noise with timer that can be used to mark the opening and closing of a meditation.

Calm is what I call a nice and fluffy app, it provides a range of soothing background sounds and calming pictures for meditations of various lengths. Mostly they are very relaxing, who doesn’t enjoy picturesque scenes of nature. Watch out for the sound of bubbling waterfalls if you have a suggestive bladder!

Depression Check gives quick and easy access to some common mental health screening tools. This app is super useful if clients are not sure if what they are feeling is ‘normal’ and if they would benefit from speaking to someone about their symptoms.

Smiling Mind a neat little Aussie app that allows you to embark on a Mindfulness journey that will literally make your mind Smile. And even better its totally free!

Sleep Cycle this is a very easy to use tool that will allow you to take some fairly detailed analysis of your sleep patterns. Its a great first step for anyone suffering from sleep difficulties. A bonus is that it allows you to set flexible alarms times so that you wake up gently from a light sleep rather than trying to drag yourself out of a deep sleeping slumber.

DocScan is a free app allowing you to take good quality copies of handwritten notes or diagrams and immediately email them to yourself or the client. In the absence of a whiteboard that prints this is a must!

Well this List is by no means exhaustive. In fact if you have any tips or suggestions, or perhaps you have developed an app yourself? I would love to hear about it, write to me here or alternatively visit and comment at facebook page.

H-appy Apping!