Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 56(6), Dec 2025, 462-469; doi:10.1037/pro0000652
The widespread availability and use of smartphones have led to the emergence of Mobile Health, a field that utilizes mobile devices to deliver and support mental health interventions and practices. One of the most widely used Mobile Health strategies is mobile applications (apps). Over 350,000 different health apps are available, with over 10,000 accounting for mental health. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of apps in a sample of licensed clinical psychologists. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 722 psychologists. Results indicated that 59% of participants rarely or never used apps with their clients, but 52% of participants reported recommending or using specific apps with their clients. A majority of participants (75%) believed or somewhat believed apps can help clients overcome mental health problems. Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer were the most used apps. There was also an overall lack of training in apps for psychologists. Psychologists reported that the main benefits of apps were help with homework compliance and adding to the client’s value of therapy. Additionally, psychologists reported that they were tech-savvy enough to use apps. The main barriers to app utilization were a lack of knowledge about using apps in clinical practice and worry about client’s data security. Findings highlight why psychologists may or may not use apps and whether it benefits their clinical practice. These findings can help inform training curricula as well as clinicians in deciding whether to use apps in adjunct to treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)