Online-Based Therapy

In my first blog post, I looked at how technology has been used to enhance the field of psychology in general. This post’s focus will be on specific online-based therapeutic tools, namely AbilTo and Optimism, used in dealing with psychological maladjustments.

AbilTo Inc.
AbilTo Inc., is the leading provider of electronic behavioral health services and has been proven to effectively alleviate medical conditions as well as do so at a lower cost to the consumer. AbilTo provides a range of programs, however the program most frequently used by and designed specifically for use by mental health specialists is one which incorporates the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), amongst other methods of behavioral health interventions. CBT is a method of psychotherapy (talk therapy) which focuses on a person’s cognitions and behaviors; the goal is to get the client to change the way he/she thinks about (a) particular situation/s and also change their reactions to that/those situation/s. The program is conducted over the telephone or via secure video calling through AbilTo’s platform (AbilTo, Inc., 2015).
For more information about AbilTo Inc., please visit:
https://www.ableto.com/

Optimism
Optimism is a program, available on both Mac and Windows, to self-track daily activities in an effort to determine what is affecting one’s mental health. The program observes daily behavioral patterns and develops strategies to effectively cope with and manage various disorders including depression and bipolar disorder (Boss, 2017).
For more information about optimism programs and apps, please visit:
http://www.findingoptimism.com/

Through the merging of information technology and psychology, we see just how much more effective psychology’s practice can be. With the use of online-based programs such as those mentioned above, therapy can be provided conveniently and cost-effectively.




References
AbilTo Inc. (2015). AbilTo introduces booster programs to strengthen participants’ cognitive behavioral therapy skills, address new challenges. PR Newswire. Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abilto-introduces-booster-programs-to-strengthen-participants-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-skills-address-new-challenges-300186086.html
Boss, A. (2017). An intro to cutting-edge psychology technology. Psychology Degree Guide. Retrieved from http://psychologydegreeguide.org/psychology-technology/
Optimism Apps Pty Ltd. (2010). What are the optimism mental health apps? Retrieved from http://www.findingoptimism.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Online vs. Offline Personalities

Have you ever met someone on a social network, who seemed really awesome, fun, interactive and heavily extroverted, then to discover the complete opposite when you meet them in an offline (real-life) setting? It has definitely happened to me and I couldn’t help but wonder why. I think one explanation behind this seemingly complex phenomenon lies with one’s comfort in an online setting. It’s quite easy to just be 100% confident because he/she is not actually standing in front of someone, and has time to think to respond. He/she may not necessarily have distinct offline and online personalities, rather just an appearance of that because of issues related to self-confidence and self-esteem. Another possible explanation could be that one is projecting the personality type he/she would like to have. It is so much easier to enact that personality online because this person is hidden; body language can’t be read, facial expression can’t be seen and intonation can’t be discriminated.
Read more

Technology & Human Interaction

In last week’s posts I explored the ways in which technology is being used to enhance the field of psychology and specific online therapeutic tools. This week’s focus will be on technology’s effects on human interaction. I know it may seem a bit cliché because this topic has been extensively explored, nevertheless it will be briefly discussed. Technology has indeed increased human interaction because there are now more opportunities to connect with others. What is suffering however, is the actual quality of these interactions and relationships. It is quite normal to have 1,000+ friends on Facebook these days, and one would think that someone with that number of friends definitely interacts frequently, which may in fact be the case. But what is the quality of these interactions? Just think about it: how many close friends do people really have and engage in meaningful face-to-face interactions with? Exactly – not that many. Research shows that regardless of the number of people
Read more

The Psychology of Online Dating

In societies today, many persons have adapted to ‘online living’ in practically every aspect of life, including dating. Although some still enjoy meeting their special him or her in a face-to-face setting, meeting someone online and then building a relationship from there is becoming more and more common and accepted in recent times. So what really motivates us to utilize online dating? Firstly, according to evolutionary psychologists, physical attractiveness plays a huge role. Because pictures can be easily altered and edited via programs and applications on computers and mobile phones, many persons portray splendid images online. Physical beauty is a sign of health and fertility and so onlookers are usually attracted to these traits as, again according to evolutionary psychologists, we as humans are preoccupied with survival and reproduction (Spira, 2016). In addition, lying and deception seem to be quite prevalent in online dating. People who are on these dating sites see o
Read more