Mental Health Apps

There are many apps for Androids and iPhones that can help with sleep, stress, safety planning, relaxation, anxiety, mindfulness, PTSD and other mental health topics. These are some of the most highly recommended apps across college campuses, and while this list is by no means exhaustive, we hope it gets you on the path to finding an app that is a great fit for you. 

 

12 Steps Companion

The original and most comprehensive sobriety tool available for members of Alcoholics Anonymous. With a feature packed Big Book reader, search tool, sobriety calculator, notes, AA contacts database and more, your experience is unmatched! Every member of AA will find this app very useful yet quite simple to use.

 

 

 

ACT Coach

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) aims to help you live with unpleasant thoughts, feelings and impulses without avoiding them or being controlled by them. In ACT, you are encouraged to commit to actions so that you can live your life by your values, even in the face of these unpleasant experiences. ACT Coach was created by VA’s National Center for PTSD.

 

 

 

Anxiety Relief: Find Your Calm

Anxiety Relief is designed from personal experience with anxiety to help you find calm. With six different tools and a gratitude journal, it has a suite of options for every need. 100% free.

 

 

 

 

 

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. Breathing exercises have been documented to decrease the body’s fight-or-flight (stress) response and help with mood stabilization, anger control and anxiety management. 

 

 

 

bSafe

One of the most advanced and reliable personal safety apps in the world. bSafe gives you ground-breaking technology that prevents and documents violence and threats for your loved ones, employees, students and your community.

 

 

 

 

 

Calm

Calm provides support and resources for better sleep, meditation and relaxation. It includes guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing programs, stretching exercises and relaxing music. This is the perfect mindfulness app for beginners, but it also includes hundreds of programs for intermediate and advanced users. Guided meditation sessions are available in various lengths, and sleep stories allow a deep and restful slumber.

 

 

 

Flora-Green Focus

Flora is a new way to stay off your phone, clear to-do lists, and build positive life-changing habits. It blocks distracting apps in a pleasant way to help you focus on what’s more important in real life.

 

 

 

 

 

Headspace

Headspace teaches you how to meditate, breathe and live mindfully. There are exercises on topics including managing anxiety, stress relief, breathing, happiness and focus. There’s a free Basics course that will teach you the essentials of meditation and mindfulness. Plus, as part of the Sleep by Headspace experience, there are sleep meditations, sleep sounds and specially designed sleepcasts to guide you to a place of rest.

 

 

 

Healthy Minds Program

The Healthy Minds Program trains your mind through meditation and podcast-style lessons to develop skills to gain focus, reduce stress and maintain positive social connections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting Guide

Brought to you by Alcoholics Anonymous, Meeting Guide is a free-of-charge app that provides meeting information from AA service entities in an easy-to-access format.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panic Relief

Panic Relief provides you with tools to deal with panic, stress and anxiety. It can give you instant support, wherever you are—it is silent and helps you stay in control. It has four short cartoons with animations to show you how to cope with the unpleasant sensations in your body while staying mentally calm and in control.

 

 

 

 

PTSD Coach

PTSD Coach was designed for those who have, or may have, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This app provides you with education about PTSD, information about professional care, a self-assessment for PTSD, opportunities to find support and tools that can help you manage the stresses of daily life with PTSD. Tools range from relaxation skills and positive self-talk to anger management and other common self-help strategies.

 

 

 

Responsible 4 Recovery

Responsible 4 Recovery is a personalized companion which can support and motivate you on your recovery journey. It can help you overcome your addiction to alcohol and drugs with daily check-ins and an interactive feelings wheel to help you clarify how you are feeling and track what’s important to your recovery.

 

 

 

 

 

RISE: Sleep Tracker

RISE calculates your sleep debt, helps you understand its impact on your energy, and guides you on how to lower it by improving sleep habits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stanley-Brown Safety Plan

A safety plan is a list of coping strategies and social supports that people can use when they are in a suicidal crisis or very distressed. It helps them not act on their suicidal feeling. The plan is brief, is in the individuals’ own words, and is easy to read. It is an emergency plan for suicide crisis.

 

 

 

 

Virtual Hope Box

Virtual Hope Box (VHB) contains simple tools to help with coping, relaxation, distraction and positive thinking. You can use VHB to store a variety of rich multimedia content that you find personally supportive in times of need. You can add photos, videos and recorded messages from loved ones, inspirational quotes, music you find especially soothing, reminders of previous successes, future aspirations and self-affirmations. VHB also provides you with positive planning, distraction tools and interactive relaxation exercises.