Supporting Homework Compliance in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Essential Features of Mobile Apps

Overview

Journal JMIR Ment Health

Specialties Health Services
Psychiatry
Psychology

Date 2017 Jun 10

PMID 28596145

Citations 31

Authors

Wei Tang

David Kreindler

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective psychotherapy modalities used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. Homework is an integral component of CBT, but homework compliance in CBT remains problematic in real-life practice. The popularization of the mobile phone with app capabilities (smartphone) presents a unique opportunity to enhance CBT homework compliance; however, there are no guidelines for designing mobile phone apps created for this purpose. Existing literature suggests 6 essential features of an optimal mobile app for maximizing CBT homework compliance: (1) therapy congruency, (2) fostering learning, (3) guiding therapy, (4) connection building, (5) emphasis on completion, and (6) population specificity. We expect that a well-designed mobile app incorporating these features should result in improved homework compliance and better outcomes for its users.

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