It has long been a challenge for those in the substance abuse and mental health professions to get their clients to engage in treatment in the time between sessions, or for those in a residential facility, to keep them on the right track after discharge. Especially in the wake of COVID-19, clinicians are searching for ways to help their clients seek and access the resources available to them at home. 

While on some levels, technology can seem to lead us to disconnect from others in favor of virtual versions of ourselves, it also presents us with innumerable supportive resources to assist clients with taking ownership of the recovery process, while dedicating time and attention to caring for themselves on a mental, emotional, and physical level. 

The following is a summary of four types of apps that can be helpful resources for your clients, while in therapy and long after.

Meditation Apps

Mindfulness and meditation are taught in therapy as a means of connecting clients to internal resources to harness healing outside of the session. 

An integral part of meditation is eliminating and/or directing awareness away from distractions. Meditation apps do this wonderfully by changing technology from a distraction into a tool. By facilitating meditation practices and activities, meditation apps also increase the self-efficacy of clients and confidence in their mental awareness. 

The following are meditation apps available today:

Insight Timer- Insight Timer offers the unique experience of several forms of guided meditations for various needs. Music, guided imagery, and muscle relaxation are some of the few forms of meditations available on the app.

10 Percent Happier- 10 Percent Happier is a wonderful app for those who are new to mediation. Courses and coaches set this app apart from more independent meditation apps. 

Reading Apps

Bibliotherapy refers to the use of literature in the healing process of counseling or therapy. Some therapists prefer to assign materials for clients to read based on treatment goals. However, some may encourage clients to simply explore as they feel comfortable, as for the ever-anxious, picking up a fantasy fiction novel may be the perfect distraction to get them out of their heads for a while. 

In addition to Audible or Kindle, consider some additional reading apps for use in your therapeutic process:

OverDrive- The OverDrive app offers app users the chance to connect with local libraries in order to browse and read any of the volumes available nearby, in addition to the books on file with OverDrive. 

Nook app- The Nook reading app from Barnes & Noble offers a large selection of literature spanning multiple genres.

Sleep Apps

Research on sleep hygiene and its connection to mental health and wellness is growing rapidly. In fact, a routine question in mental health services intakes is: “how many hours of sleep do you get on average?” 

Sleep apps are available to promote proper sleep hygiene by helping clients set alarms for sleep and wake times, tracking REM (deep sleep) cycles, noting restless periods of sleep, prompting appropriate times to turn off lights and technology, and offering music to assist with falling asleep. 

The following are a few sleep apps available to assist you with establishing and maintaining important sleep hygiene habits:

Slumber- The Slumber app uses both meditations and music to assist app users to attain restful sleep. Some of the “techniques” available on the app include: “mindfulness, breath control, guided imagery, and progressive muscle relaxation.”

Sleep Cycle- The Sleep Cycle app is an innovative app created to tailor the morning alarm to your stages of sleep. The app maintains a record of your sleep cycles and uses this information to wake you in the lightest stage of sleep. Thus you’ll wake feeling rested, rather than the alternative where you’re abruptly pulled from a deep sleep.

Time Management Apps

             Depending on the presenting concerns of clients, time management may be a targeted skill in therapy. While this may not appear to be a primary issue, learning and embracing effective time management can contribute to reduced stress and anxiety. 

Counselors and clients alike find it helpful to tackle some of the practical issues with daily life before diving deeper into the therapeutic process. Time management apps, much like personal assistants, are available to provide a central place to track the important events and tasks in life while allotting time for self-care. 

Below are a few current time management apps to assist with organizing and following through with life tasks to promote healthy efficiency:

MyLifeOrganized- My Life Organized is a time management platform offering users tools for prioritizing tasks in a daily planner and various formats. This app encourages optimizing your time by helping you manage the tasks entered and organized in the app.

Remember The Milk-Remember the Milk is an application designed to help keep track of the tasks and appointments in life that may slip by.  This app is designed to “get to-dos out of your head” to reduce stress and increase concentration on the tasks you want to prioritize.

An App for You: Alleva

After helping your clients find and access apps that are supportive of their recovery, try one of your own: Introducing Alleva, the friendliest EMR platform around. Alleva not only has a client app meant to keep clients connected during and aftercare, but you will also be able to easily send out text surveys and have access to the latest in telehealth technology. 

Speaking of time-management skills, Alleva’s built-in, real-time alerts will also remind staff to dot I's and cross T's to ensure compliance. Alleva is the perfect example of harnessing technology that allows you to spend more time where your heart is -serving those in your care. Request a demo today.