Therapeutic applications of the mobile phone

ABSTRACT

As the availability of new communication technologies increases, mental health professionals have incorporated these innovations into their practice and research. Up to now several studies have presented promising results in using the power and convenience of the Internet for clinical care. While multiple contributions focus on the potential and the advantages of therapies delivered through the Internet, mental health practitioners may take into account new technological opportunities to improve their practice. Mobile phone diffusion is expanding worldwide at breath-taking speed. In fewer than 20 years, mobile phones have gone from being rare and expensive pieces of equipment used primarily by the business elite, to a pervasive low-cost personal item. In many countries, mobile phones now outnumber land-line telephones, with most adults and many children now owning mobile phones. With high levels of mobile telephone penetration, a mobile culture has evolved, where the phone becomes a key social and cultural tool. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potentialities that mobile phones may offer in clinical care. The paper will investigate in which areas of clinical interventions mobile phones have already been successfully applied. Moreover, the paper will discuss these opportunities by presenting the results of two different studies based on the use of the mobile phone for anxiety management.

Keywords:

• mobile phone
• psychotherapy
• assessment
• counselling

Acknowledgements

The present work was supported by the Italian MIUR FIRB programme (Project ‘Neurotiv-Managed care basata su telepresenza immersiva virtuale per l'assessment e riabilitazione in neuro-psicologia e psicologia clinica’ – RBNE01W8WH – and Project ‘Realtà virtuale come strumento di valutazione e trattamento in psicologia clinica: aspetti tecnologici, ergonomici e clinici’ – RBAU014JE5).