PTSD Coach

iOS: available in the App Store

Android: available in the Play Store

PTSD Coach was designed for Veterans and military Servicemembers who have, or may have, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This app provides users with education about PTSD, information about professional care, a self-assessment for PTSD, opportunities to find support, and tools that can help users manage the stresses of daily life with PTSD. Tools range from relaxation skills and positive self-talk to anger management and other common self-help strategies. Users can customize tools based on their preferences and can integrate their own contacts, photos, and music. This app can be used by people who are in treatment as well as those who are not.

More details about this app can be found on the National Center for PTSD website.

National Center for PTSD’s one-page overview (PDF)

Introduction to the PTSD Coach app (YouTube)

PTSD Coach en español (YouTube)

iOS:  Hoffman, J.E., Ramsey, K.M., Jaworski, B.K., Kuhn, E., Taylor, K., McGee-Vincent, P., Juhasz, K., Owen, J.E. (2020). PTSD Coach (Version 3.1). Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com.

Android:  Hoffman, J.E., Ramsey, K.M., Jaworski, B.K., Kuhn, E., Taylor, K., McGee-Vincent, P., Juhasz, K., Owen, J.E. (2020). PTSD Coach (Version 3.1). Retrieved from https://play.google.com.

Questions or suggestions about this app? The National Center for PTSD can be reached by emailing MobileMentalHealth@va.gov.

Awards

2012 - American Telemedicine Association - President’s Award for Innovation

2011 - Federal Communications Commission - Chairman’s Award for Advancements in Accessibility

Press

02/17/2019 - Washington Post - PsyberGuide seeks to provide unbiased reviews of mental health apps, digital tools

03/08/2016 - Undark - The App Will See You Now

02/09/2016 - Social Work Helper - 9 Mobile Apps for Social Workers

01/28/2016 - Beyond Chron - How VA Health Care Outdoes Private Sector

01/14/2016 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Treating and Preventing Mental Illness Through Your Smartphone

01/05/2016 - Sierra Sun - Your Health: Try These 7 Innovative Mobile Apps to Lift Your Mood

09/09/2015 - New Scientist - Mental Health Apps Let You Access Therapy From Your Smartphone

09/03/2015 - Elite Daily - 41 Awesome Mental Health Resources When You Can't Afford A Therapist

04/22/2015 - Psychiatry Advisor - Mobile Mental Health Apps: Rebooting Clinical Practice?

04/13/2015 - Greatist - 81 Awesome Mental Health Resources When You Can't Afford A Therapist

04/05/2015 - FierceMobileHealthcare - Researchers Test App for Veteran PTSD Treatment

04/03/2015 - BuzzFeed - 14 Amazing Apps For Anyone Living With Anxiety

02/09/2015 - Huffington Post - 8 Ways To Use Your Phone To Benefit Your Mental Health

12/19/2014 - ABC Oklahoma City - Apps Helping Veterans Battle PTSD

11/12/2014 - Newsweek - Technology's Latest Quest: Tracking Mental Health

11/10/2014 - The News Journal - Grappling with PTSD in a Civilian World

10/24/2014 - The Star Journal - Area Veterans Share Their VA Medical Care Experiences

09/26/2014 - WND - Chuck Norris Challenges You to Beat His Score

09/08/2014 - InformationWeek - VA: Mobile is 'Value-Added' To Health Programs

05/09/2014 - NBC Washington - Some Doctors Recommend Digital Support for People with Mental Illness

05/09/2014 - Nextgov - Agencies Can Drive the Next Wave of Digital Innovation

04/22/2014 - Washington Times - Less Silent Suffering: Veterans’ Post-Traumatic Stress Taken Seriously

03/01/2014 - Monitor on Psychology - Mobile Psychology

11/11/2013 - MobiHealthNews - 15 Apps from the Department of Veterans Affairs

10/24/2013 - MedCrunch - PTSD Coach App

07/16/2013 - MobiHealthNews - VA Launches Caregiver Pilot with 10 New Apps

05/23/2013 - Houston Chronicle - Stay Head-Strong with Mental Health Apps

05/06/2013 - The Canadian Press - New App Aims to Help Canadian Veterans Cope with PTSD

03/29/2013 - Omaha World Herald - Help for PTSD, Brain Injuries May Be Only an App Away

10/01/2012 - iMedicalApps - PTSD Coach: Proof-of-Concept App from the VA using Open mHealth Platform

08/02/2012 - NBC News - Military, VA Release Mobile App for PTSD Therapy

08/02/2012 - Defense Tech - New PTSD App for iPhone, Android

08/01/2012 - Health 2.0 News - The VA Releases a Mobile App for PTSD Patients

05/30/2012 - Veterans Today - VA/DoD PTSD Coach App Wins Innovation Award for Telemedicine Advancement

05/04/2012 - Palo Alto Online - Mobile Apps Help PTSD Sufferers

09/30/2011 - Nextgov - Listening to Users: How VA Developed Its PTSD Coach Mobile App

07/28/2011 - National Public Radio - A Comforting iTouch

07/26/2011 - Associated Press - Veterans Use Smartphone Apps to Fight PTSD

07/19/2011 - ABC 15 Phoenix - New App Provides Vets a Tool for PTSD

04/22/2011 - MobiHealthNews - VA Creates App for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

04/21/2011 - FierceMobileHealthcare - VA Turns to Smartphones to Treat PTSD

04/19/2011 - Time - PTSD? "There's an App for That"

04/11/2011 - InformationWeek - PTSD iPhone App Launches for Veterans

04/09/2011 - CBS 3 Philadelphia - Health Watch: An App for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Scientific Literature

Kuhn, E., Greene, C., Hoffman, J., Nguyen, T., Wald, L., Schmidt, J., Ramsey, K. M., & Ruzek, J. (2014). A preliminary evaluation of PTSD Coach, a Smartphone App for Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms. Military Medicine, 179(1), 12-18.

International Versions