ORLANDO, Fla. – Thousands of students in Central Florida have access to a free therapy assistance app that mental health counselors say has delivered positive results.
The app, called Therapy Assistance Online (TAO), was developed in 2015 at the University or Florida.
Students at UCF were given free access to the app when the campus became a beta tester for the development of the desktop version, which later became an app for smartphones.
“I’ve been on the shuttle before and had my headphones in using it and people were probably just thinking I’m listening to music when I’m really listening to a mindfullness video,” said Julia McQuaig, a University of Central Florida student and peer educator with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
Christopher Nault, a licensed mental health counselor with UCF’s CAPS program, said the number of students seeking mental health services from the campus has doubled in recent years.
“More complex lives, or more complex stressors, actually, that students encounter on a daily basis," Nault said.