TruReach: CBT in an App

Contributed by Jeff Perron on January 16th, 2017
Content: Mental Health Care in Canada / Therapy: Cognitive Behavioural

Happy New Year! PM celebrates the first official blog entry of 2017 with an announcement by Jeff Perron, Programs Manager at TruReach Health, who is offering PM members and their clients FREE access to a new CBT app called TruReach. 

If you’re a client or clinician visiting Psychotherapy Matters, you are likely aware of the stigma attached to mental illness and the barriers to accessing proper support. For those not ready to speak with a therapist, self-help provides a good starting point and mental health apps are often the first place to which people turn.

Countless apps claim to enhance mental wellness in one way or another. However, very few are built based on evidence-informed psychotherapeutic principles.

TruReach is a Canadian-made mental health app providing self-help for mild depression or anxiety. TruReach is based entirely on cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT).  The app is designed to help to feel more like yourself, learn skills that help you deal with anxiety, stress, and feeling down.  Mental wellness on-the go!

The app has been featured in: Inc. (http://bit.ly/1JUHcJ9), New Scientist (http://bit.ly/1Wdz9N7), ProductHunt (http://bit.ly/1M8HEl7).

CBT is parsed into 18 quick, 5-minute lessons and packed into TruReach:

• Lessons 1 and 2 – Introduction to the app and psychoeducation on depression and anxiety.
• Lesson 3 – Identifying emotions
• Lesson 4 – Identifying thoughts
• Lesson 5 – Identifying “thinking traps”
• Lesson 6- Developing “alternative thoughts”
• Lesson 7 – Re-rating emotion
• Lesson 8-10 – Goal setting
• Lesson 11 – “Behavioral tasks”
• Lesson 12 – “Thought tests”
• Lessons 13-17 – Identifying and changing “schemas”
• Lesson 18 – Conclusion

TruReach gives users quick animated lessons that teach skills in a way that is easy to understand. Also built into the app is an electronic thought journal, which helps users apply the lessons. The thought journal is a mainstay in CBT because it helps people analyze their thoughts and counteract negative thoughts.

TruReach is free to download.  Membership for premium content costs $10.99. Psychotherapy Matters clients and clinicians interested in using TruReach can email info@trureachhealth.com for a free membership.

Before you get started, remember that the information and content of TruReach are for informational purposes only and are in the nature of a self-help book or magazine article.

If you feel that you would benefit from seeing a health professional, please contact a licensed health professional in your area.

Nothing in TruReach should be considered to be – or used as a substitute for – health advice or treatment.

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The views expressed in these blogs are the author’s own and not necessarily reflective of those of Psychotherapy Matters.  Information provided here and anywhere else on PsychotherapyMatters.com is for learning purposes only and should not be used to guide treatment of clients/patients. Copyright © 2017 PsychotherapyMatters.com

Jeff Perron

Jeff Perron, MBA, PhD(c) is Programs Manager of TruReach Health. http://www.trureachhealth.com/

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