CollaBoraTe has been developed by a group of psychotherapists and clinical psychologists at the Northern Trust Psychological Therapies Service. The app offers a few tools that are best used alongside your therapy but may also be used independently.
CollaBoraTe incorporates a number of techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – a therapy that looks to help identify and challenge our thoughts and consider different patterns of behaviour that may help us to feel differently. The app offers the opportunity to collect information about particularly difficult scenarios and to separate out the thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and behaviours so that you and your therapist have an accurate record of incidences from your week between sessions. A thought record exercise is included so that once covered in session you can practice this helpful tool independently to identify cognitive distortions and come to alternative kinder, rational and more helpful thoughts.
The app lets you take down important points from your sessions and a photo function will enable you to capture some of the work completed in session. There is also a helpful reminder function to help you remember to complete your homework between sessions.
The app also includes relaxation audios and a tool to help with behavioural activation.
This app is not a replacement for your treatment and is best used in conjunction with a therapeutic intervention under guidance from a trained mental health practitioner.