Ethical Considerations of Using Mental Health Apps in Counseling
$32.00
The availability of many mental health apps is an exciting progression of technology in the counseling field. Mental health apps can provide clients with easily accessible tools and support to aid in their growth. This training will explore key ethical considerations regarding the use of mental health apps in counseling. The benefits and risks of using mental health apps to augment counseling services will be outlined. Strategies for ensuring safety and informed consent for clients will be discussed. A grand case study featuring the ethical practice of introducing an app to a client will be presented.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- Explain at least three ethical considerations of using mental health apps in counseling.
- Define and describe the benefits and risks of incorporating mental health apps into therapeutic work with clients.
- Identify at least two best practice recommendations for ethical implementation of mental health apps.
Social workers completing this course receive 2 Ethics asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 2 hours of Ethics continuing education training.
Course Instructor: Diane Bigler, LCSW, LSCSW
Recording Date: 9/11/2024
Recorded Live Webinar with downloadable presentation slides and/or handouts, evaluation, and a required quiz. The learner is required to pass with a 70% or higher to achieve the CE certificate of completion. The learner is able to reset the test until a satisfactory score is achieved. CE Training Workshops, LLC, provider #1770, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/2/2022 – 8/2/2025. CE Training Workshops, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE Training Workshops, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. System Requirements: Firefox, Chrome, Brave, Safari, Edge on any modern operating system (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS). A desktop browser is recommended. We do not provide support resources for issues encountered using a mobile device. For more information about our policies and board approval statements, please visit our FAQS page.
Diane Bigler, LCSW, LSCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Missouri and Kansas with over 25 years of experience in the mental health field.
Ethical Considerations in the Use of Mental Health Apps in Counseling (2HR) Syllabus
I. Mental Health Apps Landscape
- Over 15,000 mental health apps are commercially available
- Apps target issues such as trauma, anxiety, sleep, CBT, DBT, and emotional support
- Market growth driven by demand, technology adoption, and post-pandemic needs
II. Benefits of Mental Health Apps
- Increases accessibility, affordability, and personalization of services
- Offers novel research and treatment tools
- Encourages early treatment and self-determination
- Promotes equity and improves population data collection
III. Potential Risks and Ethical Concerns
- Misinformation, ineffective treatments, and unverified claims
- Lack of security or unauthorized data use and sale
- Apps may trigger distress or reinforce clinical symptoms
- Use in clinical settings still lacks standardized guidelines
IV. Lack of Research and Regulation
- Only 3–5% of apps are empirically validated
- Research cannot keep pace with app development
- Studies show many apps can increase distress with constant notifications
- Particularly limited evidence for effectiveness in youth populations
V. Core Ethical Principles
- Beneficence and non-maleficence: avoid harm and maximize benefit
- Responsibility: clinicians must vet apps before recommending
- Justice: equal access regardless of device/platform limitations
- Competence: professionals must have training in app integration
VI. Informed Consent and Transparency
- Most apps lack disclaimers on data risks or efficacy limitations
- Informed consent should include potential for privacy breaches
- Data often shared without user knowledge or approval
- Clients must be made aware of security limitations in digital tools
VII. Data Privacy and Confidentiality
- Many apps fall outside HIPAA protections
- Personal entries (mood tracking, journaling, AI chats) are vulnerable
- Data shared with third parties, including advertisers and tech platforms
- Users often unaware of data use due to opaque privacy policies
VIII. Consumer Experiences and Emotional Harm
- Common themes: feeling unsupported, undeserving, deceived, or distressed
- Buggy apps and inaccessibility exclude users with disabilities
- Paywalls and deceptive marketing harm vulnerable individuals
- Security flaws increase anxiety about personal data exposure
IX. Clinical Guidance and Evaluation Tools
- APA’s App Advisor screener guides ethical app selection
- Questions to consider: platform compatibility, evidence base, data policies
- Apps should be user-friendly and clinically relevant
- Evaluation must align with client needs and safety requirements
X. Resources for Ethical Practice
- American Counseling Association’s Therapy Apps Guide
- SAMHSA’s guide on technology-based therapeutic tools
- One Mind PsyberGuide and APA’s App Evaluation Model
- Case study practice and clinician checklists to support decision-making
