Sunday, February 24, 2013

Yes, There's an App for That: Useful Apps for Psychologists and other Mental Health Practitioners


If you've been wondering if there are any good apps available for use by mental health professionals, I have good news for you.  Here is a list of some top rated free smart device apps used by psychologists and other behavioral health care professionals. The choices come from recommendations made by psychologists on the APA Division 42 (Psychologists in Independent Practice) Listserv. I’ve downloaded and tested all of these app so I know they do what they promise and are easy to use. All of the apps on the list are available free from Apple’s App store and iTunes for use on iPhones, iPads and iPod touch. Some of them are available for other devices as well:

3D brain is a really elegant app that lets you navigate a three-dimensional graphic of the brain on your device. It can be very helpful for refreshing your knowledge of neuroanatomy as well as serving as a useful reference tool for helping patients and their families understand and visualize the brain structures impacted by neuropsychological trauma and injury. FREE 

Co-Occurring Conditions Toolkit is a resource published by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology to help clinicians identity common co-morbid conditions in mild TBI patients. FREE

PAR Assessment Toolkit is a utility produced by the psychological test publisher PAR as a handy reference for psychologists and other mental health practitioners who administer standardized tests. Features include a graphic of the normal curve with conversions, a stopwatch function, age calculator and compliance calculator. FREE 

Psych Drugs provides a comprehensive reference for reputable information about the major classes of psychotropic drugs including SSRIs, anitpsychotics, mood stabilizers, and ADHD, insomnia and anti-anxiety medications. It includes generic and brand names, class, indications, dosages, half-life and side effects.  FREE

PFA Mobile is a Psychological First Aid Tutorial developed by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health to provide a convenient resource for first responders and mental health professionals providing assistance following a traumatic event, natural disaster, emergency or crisis. FREE

Medscape from WebMD is a popular and well-respected medical resource app used by millions of health care professionals.  It provides comprehensive reference data about prescription drugs, diseases, conditions, procedures, medical terms and medical calculators (like BMI). An added feature is daily updates about medical news and critical alerts. It also allows searchable access to Medscape News and MEDLINE databases. FREE

ICD 10 Lite 2013 gives you convenient free access to the complete ICD 10 right on your iPad or iPhone. FREE

Check out my website: www.drjillsquyrespsychologist.com