I had the pleasure to be invited by Sam Glass of Thrive, based in the UK, to demo their stress management app. Mental health apps continue to interest me. From the case management perspective, I look for two main things. First that the app can be the extension of a therapy session that can be a “homework assignment”. Secondly, the app should be able to track progress so that the user can get feedback and potentially share with their care team.
Personally I like apps that have an easy and creative interface. The “Stress Free” App offers all of these things. It asks you to rate your mood/stress level. Based on this it makes recommendations and a menu of choices for stress management….
I enjoyed the menu of various coping strategies. There is also educational material about each coping strategy. It’s one thing to suggest doing deep muscle relaxation, but it’s other thing to explain “the why”. It guides you though various activities using an avatar to walk you through…
More importantly it has a mood and activity tracker to measure progress. I feel very strongly about the potential of mood trackers. Maybe it’s just my slight bias as a therapist. I wonder if users find these kind of trackers helpful? Would also love to know if any therapists have put progress/measurements of an App in a treatment plan? (but I digress). It produces a progress chart…
On the enjoyable interface side, the Zen Rock Garden (or the beach garden as this app is beach themed) was an added bonus. The beach theme is a nice part of the user experience as well. Maybe this is my bias because I love the beach too. The Zen Garden offers a nice place to distract and relax you…
For those working on stress management, I found the “Stress Free” App a good tool. To learn more about Thrive and the “Stress Free App” visit them at their website: www.thrive.uk.com
Also follow them on Social Media:
Twitter: @ThriveAppsUK
Facebook: Thrive – Therapeutic Software
Instagram: @ThriveAppsUK
