Thinkladder app

An app to help people become more aware of unhelpful beliefs.

Thinkladder By Thinkladder Ltd
Features
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy self-help
  • Insights and affirmations
  • Alerts and reminders

 

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Country of origin

New Zealand
Clinical review




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User reviews

 (1 review)


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Security and privacy Does the app:
  • collect medical information? No
  • require a login? No
  • have password protection? Yes
  • have a privacy policy? Somewhat – has a terms of use which which is quite general
  • require internet access? Yes
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Cost Free

What does the app do?

This NZ-developed app offers self-help based on cognitive behavioural therapy techniques. Users choose a theme they want to explore such as ‘perfectionism’ and ‘comparing myself to others’ and scroll through a list of associated symptoms and unhelpful beliefs. They can read or listen to short insights that challenge those beliefs. The app allows users to share an insight with others and set up reminders to read it at a certain time of the day. For a more detailed description of the app, see App website, iTunes or Google Play and for a detailed review, see Reviews.


PROS

CONS 

✔ Helps users identify situations, reactions and beliefs that cause distress or are unhelpful.

✔ Helps users identify more helpful ways of thinking about these situations and beliefs.

✔ Users can set up reminders of new chosen beliefs or “insights”.

✔ Visually appealing.

✔ Easy to use.

✘ Developers describe app as based on cognitive behavioural therapy but cognitive behavioural therapy does not suggest the use of regularly repeated affirmations, rather that people develop their own challenges to negative automatic thoughts by asking questions or using other particular skills and strategies.

✘ “Themes” or life problems are said to be sourced from DSM-5 and ICD-11, but this does not appear to be the case.

✘ Not appropriate as a treatment tool for common mental health conditions.

✘ Intervention provided is superficial and does not help users develop tools and strategies for coping with difficult situations.

✘ Behavioural aspects of problem areas are not addressed, missing a key aspect of changing or challenging beliefs in CBT.

✘Not all functions described in the app’s instructions are functional currently, eg, can’t set up audio versions of “insights” and can’t set reminders for use in particular locations. 

Review details

  • March 2022, 1.16.0, Android
  • November 2017, 1.0.3, Apple iOS
App developer
If you are the developer and would like to provide updated information about this app, please email the app library manager at applibrary@healthnavigator.org.nz.

Learn more

Review of Self Help Anxiety Assessment app iMedicalApps, July 2015

Thinkladder website

Bakker D, Kazantzis N, Rickwood D, et al. Mental Health Smartphone Apps: Review and Evidence-Based Recommendations for Future Developments. JMIR Ment Health. 2016 Mar 1;3(1):e7.

Van Singer M, Chatton A, Khazaal Y. Quality of Smartphone Apps Related to Panic Disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2015 Jul 14;6:96.

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Credits: Health Navigator Editorial Team. Reviewed By: Kris Garstang, Clinical Psychologist, Life Mind Psychology Last reviewed: 01 Apr 2022