‘It’s not 1800-phone-a-friend’: the failed promise of therapy apps

7am

“I didn’t have a boyfriend to text anymore so might as well text a therapist,” a millennial podcast host tells her audience while recommending they seek out counselling.

Online therapy services like BetterHelp are some of podcasting’s biggest advertisers, promising to address the barriers that prevent people from accessing face-to-face therapy.

Now, the American company is expanding its app into Australia – recruiting Australian psychologists while capitalising on the failings of a mental health system that’s difficult to navigate.

But are patients actually better off with subscription-based therapy apps?

Today, clinical and forensic psychologist Dr Ahona Guha on the dangers of app-based mental health support and what happens when you turn psychologists into gig-economy workers.

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Guest: Clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr Ahona Guha.