Mobile leaders are working to better serve the community with technology and gamming at the helm. The city's Family Intervention Team (FIT) is working to build relationships with at-risk youth and their families— through a smartphone app.
The SuperBetter App is marketed as a way to turn mental wellness into a game. The city reports the program is designed to help users tackle obstacles in their everyday lives.
The app has been evaluated in two published studies. The company's website promotes being "backed by science," with mentions from more than a dozen scientific journals.
Findings show that the SuperBetter App can help ease anxiety and depression through techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), positive psychology and behavioral change best practices.
Built to be engaging like a video game, the SuperBetter App allows participants to take on 40+ challenges aimed at improving mental, social, emotional, and physical resilience. It also enables facilitators, like those working with the city’s FIT team, to interact with participants through challenges in the app.
Earlier this year, the City of Mobile partnered with the SuperBetter team to bring the app to Mobile’s families served by the FIT team.
The two-year agreement includes training for facilitators as well as 300 accounts for youth participants and 10 facilitator accounts.
