Phone Apps

MindShift (link)

Cost:
Free

Description:
MindShift is a collaboration between AnxietyBC and BC Addictions Services. The MindShift app is designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety. The app will help youth learn how to relax and develop more helpful ways of thinking.

Pros of App:

• App includes strategies to deal with everyday anxiety and youth-friendly information about anxiety disorders
• App provides inspirational quotes, relaxation/guided meditation modules and active steps to manage specific anxiety issues
• App is easy to navigate, and “chill out tools” are very helpful

Suitable for:
Recommended for youth and adults. Under the “chill out” tab , the guided relaxation, guided meditation and guided visualisation exercises are extremely useful for individuals to develop practical skills.

Autism Xpress (link)

Cost:
Free

Description:
Autism Xpress is designed to encourage children with autism to recognise and express their emotions.

Pros of App:

• Easy to use with both audio and visual components
• Very simple layout and could be used with small children

Cons of App:

• Some users report that the app sometimes freezes or crashes

Suitable for:
Recommended as a tool for young children to use with their parents

Always There (link)

Cost:
Free

Description:
This multi-featured app is designed to connect children and youth to the Kids Help Phone and Live Chat and provide accurate information on child and youth (C&Y) health topics.

Pros of App:

• App is free, visually pleasing, easy to navigate and has many features
• App has privacy settings where an extra passcode can be set to open the phone
• App allows users to track their emotions daily, read inspirational quotes, view self-care tips, and read educational materials on relevant C&Y health topics
• App can also connect user directly with a Kids Help Phone counsellor over the phone, or, during certain hours, Live Chat

Suitable for:
Suitable for children and youth as a way to find information and have quick access to Kids Help Phone and Live Chat

Gratitude365 (link)

Cost:
Free for first seven days, then prompt to pay to upgrade

Description:
This app provides a space to identify and record what you are grateful for on a daily basis

Pros of App:

• The app can be password protected
• Each day there is space to enter (through text and picture) what you are grateful for
• App is simple and has a clear layout that is easy to follow
• Personalised gratitude calendar with entries can be shared with friends via Facebook, e-mail, Instagram, Twitter and Yahoo

Cons of App:

• App provides the space to practice gratitude but might not create the desire to express gratitude
• App is free for the first seven days, after which you are prompted to pay for the upgrade

Suitable for:
Recommended for older children, youth and young adults. App may be useful for certain clients who want to develop the skill of being grateful in a systematic and structured manner.

The Mindfulness App (link)

Cost:
Free for first seven days, then prompt to pay to upgrade

Description:
The Mindfulness App is a tool for increasing awareness in life. It helps with a most difficult aspect of mindfulness practice, namely to remember to be mindful.

Pros of App:

• App has great guided meditation exercises as well as silent meditation for those who are more experienced meditators
• The app allows for personalised reminders to be set up to help users to remember to meditate
• Meditations are adaptable to the user’s situation (with 3-minute, 5-minute, 15-minute and 30-
  minute meditation)
• App provides guided body scan and centring exercises
• Features are laid out clearly and are easily accessible

Suitable for:
Recommended for youth and adults. Also consider suggesting MindShift as the guided meditations are excellent and free.

Tactical Breather (link)

Cost:
Free

Description:
Tactical Breathing is a 4-count method of breathing designed to help create a relaxation response

Pros of App:

• App is very simple and easy to use
• “Tutorial” button helps to explain how the breathing exercise should be carried out
• “Breathe” tab leads to looped guided tactical breathing exercise

Cons of App:

• Voice used to guide the breathing exercise is very monotonous App is free for the first seven days, after which you are prompted to pay for the upgrade

Suitable for:
Recommended for all ages to assist in teaching breathing as a relaxation strategy

Calm-Meditate, Sleep, Relax (link)

Cost:
Free

Description:
This app can help reduce stress, increase calm and improve mood through guided mediation designed to help  quiet the mind.

Pros of App:

• App includes 7 guided relaxation sessions from 2 minutes to 30 minutes long
• App is user friendly, easy to use and free

Suitable for:
Recommended for older children, youth and adults

Breathr app (link)

Cost:
Free

Description:
Developed at BC Children’s Hospital with the help of youth and experts, Breathr teaches you easy and fun ways to practice mindfulness. Through a series of exercises, Breathr can help you to live in the present moment, while providing interesting facts about the benefits of mindfulness. Mindfulness can be helpful for anyone, regardless of your background or religion. Whether you have a minute a day or 20, Breathr can help you build a healthy and mindful routine.

The Guiding Principles Of Mindfulness Are:

1. Presence
2. Awareness
3. Non-judgment
4. Compassion

Benefits of Mindfulness:

• Can help to reduce stress, anxiety and depression
• Can improve memory and concentration
• Can lead to better sleep
• Can help to enhance decision-making skills
• Can improve relationships with family and friends

Features:
Breathr offers a wide range of ways to get your mindfulness practice started, such as:

• Simple breathing exercises
• Guided meditations – let an expert guide you through your practice
• Customized practices – you choose how long to practice and when to set reminders to help keep you on track
• Facts about the benefits of mindfulness

Cost:
Free

Description:
This mood tracker app was developed through extensive testing with youth and professionals who serve them

Pros of App:

• App includes a choice of 7 mood-faces and 28 mood-words as well as capacity to add notes
• App can measure intensity of moods and graph intense emotions
• Built-in e-mail functionality to e-mail mood log to service provider

Suitable for:
Recommended for older youth

Moody Me (link)

Cost:
Free

Description:
This mood diary app allows the user to log and track their moods, note what affects their mood and record events, symptoms and any treatments they are receiving, including medication

Pros of App:

• Data can be backed up, viewed online and shared across devices
• Allows user to take photos associated with their mood and create a photo album that can be played back
• Information can be presented on easy-to-create and easy-to-read graphs to see how mood changes over time

Cons of App:

• Data can be shared across devices but cannot be e-mailed
• Some users reported technical problems with the app

Suitable for:
Recommended for children and youth. App is very user friendly and might help youth identify emotions to discuss with their mental health professional. Also, the graphics are simple and great for younger children.