Evaluating an Adjunctive Mobile App to Enhance Psychological Flexibility in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Fourteen adults with anxiety or depression used a phone app called ACT Daily for two weeks. The app pinged them several times a day and asked them to try quick ACT skills like noticing thoughts or choosing valued action.

Before and after the two weeks the clients filled out short surveys on mood, anxiety, and psychological inflexibility.

Every client scored lower on depression, anxiety, and inflexibility after the two-week app period. The drops were big enough to see by eye on the graphs.

Schuwerk et al. (2019) also used phone pings to watch real-life behavior. They showed that people with more autistic traits text less but still scroll social media the same amount. Both studies prove phones can catch and shape behavior outside the clinic.

Greenwald (2024) gave real-time video prompts during childbirth and saw more upright movement. Like E et al., the prompt came right when the person needed it, not later in therapy.

Goltz et al. (2016) only talked about ACT in theory. E et al. turned that theory into a working tool you can download.

You already teach ACT skills in session. Now you can hand the client a free app that keeps the drill going at the grocery store, bus stop, or living room. Two weeks of pings cut depression and anxiety scores without extra staff time. Try it as a bridge between weekly visits.