Top 10 Picks: Apps

Here we are again! I've done some digging and come up with 10 super cool Apps that are great tools for use in therapy, especially when working with client's who have PDs.

1. DBT Self-help ($7.41)

This is a self-help App that can be used by clients or as a standalone tool or in conjunction with group or individual therapy. I rate this App a 5 out of 5 stars because it provides great training on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills for such things as managing intense emotions, breaking maladaptive behavior patterns and improving mindfulness skills. This App would be great to recommend to a client with BPD for DBT training on the go!

2. DBT Emotion Regulation ($7.99)

This is another great DBT skills App that specifically address the emotional regulation aspect of this type of therapy. It is comprised of 8 different DBT tools such as the “Emotional Myth Checklist” that helps remove false beliefs held about emotions in order to recognize and remove these myths over time. I rate this App a 5 out of 5 stars as it would be a great supplemental tool to use with clients diagnosed with BPD to help improve emotional regulation and sharpen DBT skills.

3. DBT Relationship tools ($4.99)

DBT strikes again! This is another great App designed to help people with BPD sharpen their DBT skills, this time to improve their interpersonal relationship skills. I rate this App a 5 out of 5 stars because of all the cool components it has to offer. It has an interpersonal myth checker, an intensity checker and a validation quiz. I believe this App would be great for clients with BPD to help them learn appropriate and effective interpersonal relationship skills.

4. Breathe2Relax (Free)

This is a great stress management tool on the go! It is a great App for clients who may also be suffering from symptoms of anxiety that find diaphragmatic breathing helpful for stress reduction. I rate this App a 5 out of 5 stars as it provides portable, detailed information on appropriate deep breathing that so often is helpful in anxiety reduction.

5. Mindshift (Free)

This is a great App designed to help youth and young adults deal with anxiety. I rate this App 5 out of 5 stars because of the vast types of anxiety that it covers such as Test Anxiety, Society Anxiety, Perfectionism and so on. It would be very helpful to clients dealing with anxiety as a portable anxiety coach to go that teaches skills for how to cope with anxiety and keep it from inhibiting their functioning.

6. Depression CBT Self-Help Guide (Free)
As a great majority of people diagnosed with PD’s also struggle with depression in one form or another, I thought it appropriate to include an App that address depression. This App provides an informal screening tool that is used to track depressed feelings in a Cognitive Thought Diary. It also provides articles on both Depression and CBT as well as relaxation audios to aid in building relaxation skills. I rate this App a 4 out of 5 stars and think it would be an excellent App to share with clients who are learning how to effectively deal with depression as well as a PD.

7. Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson ($2.99)
This is a great App for teaching clients guided muscle relaxation! It is designed to help induce sleep through meditation but it is also useful for relaxation in general as a self-soothing tool. I rate this App a 4 out of 5 stars and think it would be a great tool for clients to use to help sharpen the skills in their coping tool box.

8. Anger Management 101 ($1.36)

This is a great App that addresses dealing with anger management, which is a problem that commonly needs to be treated in people diagnosed with Narcissistic, Borderline and many other personality disorders. I rate this App 4 out of 5 stars because it covers many helpful topics that would be useful for people struggling to deal with their anger.

9. Cognitive Diary CBT Self-help

This App works from a CBT Framework to help log thoughts and then identify and challenge irrational beliefs. I rate this App 4 out of 5 stars because I think it could be a really beneficial homework assignment to assign to clients with personality disorders to help them recognize and challenge irrational thought patterns.

10. Fluid Monkey (Free)

Ok, ok this App isn’t really designed to be therapeutic, but I think it is! This allows you to interact with different mediums of responsive liquids. Users smear pain, jiggle gelatin or fling brightly colored balls through the mood by using their fingers. I rate this App a 3 out of 5 since it is not directly related to therapy, but could be used by clients as a distraction technique when feeling intense emotions such as anxiety or anger.