Let’s face it, mental health services can be expensive. In-person therapy comes with an added barrier of accessibility. Mental health apps aim to close this gap. However, the app market is flooded with such apps. And often several features are locked behind paywalls and premiums. 29k is a non-profit and free mental health app that makes finding support and help easier. Learn more about this app and how its features can help you prioritize self-care.

What Is 29k?

29k is a non-profit organization whose aim is to make mental health resources available to everyone for free. As a non-profit, the primary aim of 29k is to help you, and the 29k app has informative courses developed by psychologists. Unlike other mental health apps, all courses, tests, and features are available to everyone. And the user activity and data are not sold to third parties.

Apart from providing content addressing several mental health topics, 29k also enables you to connect with different people through groups. Taking care of your mental health is a gradual process and the app offers an all-around approach to it. Moreover, it has a library of content and daily practice sessions that make it a highly interactive and engaging tool. Download: 29k for Android | iOS (Free)

Choose From a Library of Evidence-Based Courses

One of the foundations of the 29k app is its extensive library of courses on specific problems. These courses have been developed by psychologists using a research-backed approach and relatable stories that make them fun to learn.

Each course is designed uniquely with multiple lessons. For instance, the Coping with Crisis course was created by psychologists and researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The course uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in its three 20-minute lessons. This course will teach you how to cope with difficult emotions and become more resilient.

If you want a specific course, you can request that as well. New content is frequently added. An experimental course called ALIVE is another great resource for overall well-being. This course has weekly quests instead of lessons that encourage you to learn and take action.

Complete Exercises and Challenges

In the Exercises tab, you will find several types of unique exercises. These exercises cover topics such as anxiety, happiness, relationships, sleep, stress, and much more. For example, the exercise titled 90th Birthday spans 11 minutes. It is an audio-guided visualization exercise to help you work on your core values.

Therefore, completing at least one exercise a day can gradually help build a habit of self-care. The app also has four challenges, each of which combines a group of exercises to target a specific problem. You can complete a challenge by following it for a couple of days. Challenges are a great way to incorporate multiple mental well-being exercises into your day.

In addition, the app has various other actionable tasks. Meditations and tests are two methods of further self-improvement. Select from a long list of guided meditations as you relax and gain insights. Tests are a great way to gauge your current stress levels, sleep patterns, or inner development goals. These tests involve multiple-choice surveys to better understand where you stand.

Finally, check-ins are another great way to quickly jump in and analyze your thoughts. These are short one- to two-minute exercises that measure how your day is going. You can take check-ins at any time of the day. Based on your responses, the app customizes relevant sessions. For example, it might suggest a guided meditation for deep breaths and relaxation during a bad day.

Collectively, all of these tools can become a valuable part of managing your mental health. Their short duration ensures that you can integrate these tools into your daily schedule. Additionally, most of these sessions are audio-based, so you can even do them while working or performing another activity.

Get Involved With a Support Group

Groups are one of the primary features of the 29k app. This is where you can share and interact with community members. A group is a space consisting of two or more members, where the members share and support one another.

Each group has a theme and set of rules. In the app, you will find multilingual groups as well. And if you can’t find a group that suits your needs, create one instead. This mental health app is unique in that it enables group sharing sessions through video chat. Sharing your problems with like-minded people is an important step towards healing.

Joining a support group will help you feel accountable. Showing up regularly to group meets is a great release as you can talk about negative emotions freely. While support groups are not a replacement for therapy or professional help, they do offer the benefits of companionship.

Is 29k Effective?

The courses in the app are all designed using psychological treatments—ACT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Contextual Behavioral Science. 29k’s material follows the guidelines of these renowned therapies. You can also explore other apps that use CBT techniques in their content.

Furthermore, every course in the app has proper scientific literature to back it. Every area of a course cites research that covers its specific topic. In addition, you can explore more general scientific research about the use of mental health apps for stress on 29k’s research page.

The researchers that support and collaborate with 29k come from Harvard University, Karolinska Institute, and the Goldsmiths University of London. Only science-backed methods are used in the app, so you can feel confident in its content and techniques.

Should You Consider 29k?

Mental health is an expansive topic and understanding different aspects of it can be challenging. 29k breaks it into bite-sized sessions and relatable stories. Most importantly, this app is not designed to treat mental illness; rather, it's for preventive care and general betterment.

If you require clinical help, you should always reach out to a healthcare professional. However, with 29k, you may be able to prevent and ease the symptoms of some of the most commonly experience mental wellness issues completely free of cost.