ACT Coach was designed for Veterans, Servicemembers and others who are in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with a mental health professional and want to use an ACT App in conjunction with their therapy. The App is designed to improve rates of patient participation in treatment and, as a result, treatment outcomes. Additionally, the App is designed to help providers adhere to published treatment protocol.

Features:

• Six mindfulness exercises to practice the ACT core concepts of acceptance and willingness
• Tools to help identify personal values and to take concrete actions to live by them
• Logs for keeping track of useful coping strategies and willingness to practice ACT skills

ACT aims to help individuals live with unpleasant thoughts, feelings and impulses without avoiding them or being controlled by them. In ACT, patients are encouraged to commit to actions based on what they value, with a focus on the present, even in the face of these unpleasant experiences. ACT Coach is designed to be used in conjunction with therapy to help with strategies for integrating personal values into their daily lives. It also includes reminders of ACT philosophy and principles and tools for tracking how they are doing in their therapy.

ACT Coach is designed to be used interactively by both clinician and patient as an aide to face-to-face therapy using ACT principles. A requirement for successful use of this App by health care providers is formal clinical training in ACT. This App does not provide training in ACT and will not serve as a substitute for this training.

Need to Know

• ACT Coach is not intended to be used as self-help without the guidance of a professional mental health care provider.
• The App provides patients with exercises, tools, information and tracking logs to help them practice what they learn in therapy in their daily life.
• ACT can be useful for anyone who struggles with depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder or other trauma-related difficulties.

ACT Coach is available for Apple mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch) and will be available for Android phones and tablets in 2014.