New iCouch CBT Helps Redirect Negative Thinking
iCouch CBT ($1.99) by iCouch Inc. provides you with a tool for documenting your negative reactions to events.
The app makes use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) by making you aware of your thoughts. The basics on CBT are offered from the main page. This page defines iCouch’s idea of “Re:thinking” (thinking again) your negative thoughts. I would recommend reading this page before getting too deeply into things.
After something negative has happened in your life, you record just the facts of the event under the “What happened?” section. Next, you record your negative thoughts and what emotions you’re feeling. You can add as many emotions as you’d like, with a Likert scale under each one to record how much you’re affected by it.
Finally, you are asked to Re:think a new thought to move you toward better choices next time. The event can be saved to your log, emailed, or sent to iCouch. A professional psychologist will evaluate your situation and provide specific feedback for a fee of $7.99. The feedback is optional, and in fact, the app is still useful without it.
You can access your log to see previous entries. The “my answers” section is your inbox for iCouch correspondence. You’ll even receive a notification when a message arrives.
Another feature the app offers are help boxes at the bottom of each page. If you’re not sure what a question is trying to ask, or what the specific pages are for, select the question mark box in the bottom corner.
Reflecting on your negative thoughts is a good way to become aware of when they occur and how negative they really are. All events are neutral; we assign meaning to them.
Are you adding too much meaning? Are you beating yourself up over something you had little control over? If so, iCouch may be for you.
