BoosterBuddy 4+

I’ve used this app extensively, and it has a good range of tools for anyone who has different neurological needs - regardless of their age or if they’re new to therapy or an old veteran.

This app is mainly marketed to teenagers because of the look of the app - the mascot friend, the gamification design - and if you read reviews online you’ll see it’s usually described as an adjunct tool to therapy and medication for young people, helping with tracking mood and reminders to take medicine - and those are fair points, this app is in no way the only tool you will ever need, or a supplicant to therapy.

However, I’m of the opinion that the apps cute interface and mascot doesn’t mean it’s only suitable for people under twenty - there’s no age where routinely taking five to ten minutes a day to see where you’re at, how you’re feeling and if you’ve done the basics today to make sure your day will flow as smoothly as possible.

In the same vein of thinking, there’s no set age we are prescribed our different diagnoses, and we’re all flailing kids at one point or another when it comes the the monumental task of caring for our own mental health, so this app is a great stepping stone to have a look at what CBT or caring for yourself can entail - maybe find a little motivation, get the hang of when your mood affects you by looking back in the calendar the app provides - for some it will be a novelty to have an actual physical reminder to go brush your teeth or do the dishes instead of something you’re just supposed to know from that “checklist” in your head.

The app also asks you what’s troubling you the most when you’re having a bad day, and tailors some of its content to your reply, making sure you can see exactly what is affecting you the most, give you a little nudge to challenge it, and then reward you with a quote from people who’ve overcome struggles or had insights into the human condition.

On another note, I was once in contact with the people behind the app (one of the phrasings inside the app was putting focus on something that might be detrimental to people with an eating disorder) and they got back to me quickly, thanked me for feedback - they really want feedback, the people who work on this include psychologists and getting feedback is literally how they treat and help people - and took me through when the app would be updated and that what I had remarked was already being reworked. In this most recent release, that was done. To me it looks like they’re working continuously to make sure this app is updated and as helpful as possible.

Oh, and that cute mascot? Well, we could all do with another friend.

10/10