As a student in psychology training in the practices of psychotherapy, as well as being a technology "geek" I'm quite interested in how these two fields overlap- whether it is in an impairing, helpful, or supportive manner. I've seen much on how iPhones are being utilized in the medical fields and while I feel some of there seem to be benefits I'm wondering if they are necessary.
It's interesting though, the recent things I've come across regarding the use of iPhones in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). There's an iPhone app called CBTReferee that I find interesting posted on The Unofficial Apple Weblog:
http://i.tuaw.com/2009/12/13/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-in-your-pocket-with-the-cbtreferee/
CBTReferee $4.99US, was written by Andrew Arrow to assist in his personal therapist-directed CBT. Finding himself always needing to carry around a notebook, since negative thoughts and feelings happen at random, he built quite a simple app for his own use. Finding it personally effective, he decided to put it in the app store, not really knowing if it would be useful for others. Feedback he received convinced him otherwise.
The app contains a brief description of CBT and clear instruction on how to properly utilize the app. It's just enough information to get started, and doesn't bog down in theory, so you can get up to speed quickly.
When a negative thought occurs, the app directs you to write it down immediately. Once done, tapping the next button takes you through a screen of ten potential fallacies inherent in your entry. Some of these include: Nothing or All (black and white thinking where one small flaw kills an entire concept), Conclusion Jumping (assuming facts that don't' exist), Emotions as Evidence (assuming that if you feel a certain way, it must be true), and many others.
Read more here about CBTReferee and feel free to comment about your thoughts on this as I mull this over myself.
