With digital devices at our fingertips, it’s perhaps little surprise that more people than ever are accessing therapy through online services. Some apps provide users with self-guided activities or AI-led messenger ‘therapists’, while other platforms facilitate video-led sessions between patients and real-life psychologists and counsellors.
Even the NHS is getting involved, with its Talking Therapies service (used by almost 1.2 million individuals in 2021/22), offering patients a combination of interactions with real-life therapists alongside online self-help activities. But what impact are these very modern approaches to therapy having on mental health outcomes?
Phoning it in
An estimated 20,000 mental health apps are currently available. Many are activity-based and founded on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or mindfulness techniques. Such apps afford immediate support in some form – and accessibility is a big part of their appeal, says).
