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New Mobile Service Offers Therapy Sessions Via Cell Phone

by Dan Reilly on September 16, 2008 at 12:35 PM


With all the mobile apps available out there, it was probably inevitable that one offering therapy would come along in this day and age. Seriously, there's a free program called My Mobile Guru that offers downloadable recordings from therapist Gary Siva for a small fee.

Available only in the UK, users access the sessions by downloading the app and then purchasing the recordings for use on their computer or phone. There are a range of topics to choose from, including "I'm being bullied at work," "Am I an alcoholic?" and "I have just been diagnosed with cancer," and each offer 5-12 minutes of help from Siva.

The therapist says the reason this works so well is because techniques to help psych patients are often generic, no matter the symptoms. A member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy disagrees, citing that the interaction and intimacy between a patient and therapist is often what makes treatment work. "You can't have a relationship with a mobile phone download," he says. But what if it's on an iPhone? Those things are magic. [From: Guardian.co.uk via Textually.org]

Tags: health, medicine, therapy, web

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