Self-Help Apps

These free or cheap mental health-related apps may be helpful to you; UMSL Counseling Services does not provide, maintain, or endorse these apps. For more information, click the links to contact the companies offering these services.

• Bloom - Reminders to make healthy choices, stay connected with others, manage stress, strengthen your spirit, save money, advance your career, and enhance your creativity.
• CBT Pad - CBT Pad is a diary application for assisting individuals with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy exercises.
• DBT Diary Card and Skills Coach – This app is useful for assisting individuals with their Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills such as mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation.
• Moody: Mood Tracker & Journal - Track your mood with the Moody mood tracker app to find out what makes you feel good. Log your mood, note what affects it and record any treatments you’re taking. Take pictures of what makes you happy and play them back for an instant lift. Or see what makes you sad so you can better manage your mood.
• Operation Reach Out (Apple Store) – This app is designed to encourage people to reach out for help when they are having suicidal thoughts and help those who are concerned about family members, spouses, or fellow service members who may be suicidal.
• Safety Plan - A list of coping strategies and social supports for use when experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress. For urgent assistance, please dial 911 or go to  Suicide Prevention.
• Virtual Hope Box - winner of the 2014 Department of Defense Innovation Award, this app contains simple tools to help with coping, relaxation, distraction, and positive thinking.

• LearnPanicCBT - A self-treatment program for panic disorder that is based on Cognitive Behavior Therapy principles.
• Mindshift - MindShift is an app designed to help young adults cope with anxiety. It can help you change how you think about anxiety. Rather than trying to avoid anxiety, you can make an important shift and face it.
• PTSD Coach - Designed for Veterans and military Service Members who have, or may have, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This app provides users with education about PTSD, information about professional care, a self-assessment for PTSD, opportunities to find support, and tools that can help users manage the stresses of daily life.
• SAM App - An application to help users understand and manage anxiety.
• Take a Break! – Relax easily and quickly with two guided, step by step meditations: Work Break Relaxation (7 min.) and Stress Relief Meditation (13 min.).  Listen with or without music or nature sounds.
• Virtual Hope Box - winner of the 2014 Department of Defense Innovation Award, this app contains simple tools to help with coping, relaxation, distraction, and positive thinking.

• DrinkControl -  DrinkControl tracks your alcohol intake in glasses, bottles or cans and converts them into standard units of alcohol. App lets you know when you go over the limit set by moderate drinking guidelines, and how much money you've spent and calories consumed with your drinks.
• Drunk Mode – This app hides select phone contacts so you cannot drunk call these selected friends for up to 12 hours, allows you to track your friends via GPS so you don't lose them when you are out, shows you where you went last night, and quickly helps you find a ride home or walking directions to your friends locations.
• I Am Sober - Along with tracking your sober days, the I Am Sober app helps you build new habits and provides ongoing motivation by connecting you to a wide network of people all striving for the same goal: staying sober one day at a time.

• Breathe2Relax - Breathe2Relax is a portable stress management tool which provides detailed information on the effects of stress on the body and instructions and practice exercises to help users learn the stress management skill called diaphragmatic breathing.
• Simply Being - Voice guided step-by-step instructions for meditation and relaxation.
• Simply Yoga - Contains 20, 40, or 60 minute yoga routines that step you through each pose. Each pose is demonstrated by a certified personal trainer, simply choose your workout length and follow along in the comfort of your own home.
• Take a Break! – Relax easily and quickly with two guided, step by step meditations: Work Break Relaxation (7 min.) and Stress Relief Meditation (13 min.).  Listen with or without music or nature sounds.
• Shine - A  self-care app  that inspires users to look after their mental health with the help of meditation, gratitude exercises and journaling.
• Virtual Hope Box - winner of the 2014 Department of Defense Innovation Award, this app contains simple tools to help with coping, relaxation, distraction, and positive thinking.

• Circle of 6 – Violence prevention app that allows users to connect with selected friends to stay safe by sharing your location and how they can help. Winner of the 2011 White House "Apps Against Abuse" Challenge.
• Gottman Card Decks – This fun app offers helpful questions, statements, and ideas for improving your relationship.
• myPlan – A free app to help with safety decisions if you, or someone you care about, is experiencing abuse in their intimate relationship. It’s private, secure, personalized, & backed by research.

• Deep Sleep – This application is a guided meditation intended to help you overcome insomnia and get to sleep.
• Better Sleep - White noise ambience for sleep, meditation & yoga.
• Sleep Easy – A guided meditation to help you sleep