Canadian government launches PocketWell app for mental health

Canada’s federal government announced a new ‘PocketWell’ app on January 14th that expands the availability of the Wellness Together Canada (WTC) platform.

The government created WTC in 2020 in response to the significant increase in feelings of stress, anxiety and depression that came alongside the early months of the pandemic.

Now, two years into the pandemic, the government launched PocketWell. It’s a free companion app for smartphones and offers many of the same capabilities as the WTC website.

At the time of writing, I was able to access a mental health self-assessment tool in the PocketWell app, view lists of external services like numbers to call or text for counselling help, and other resources (although those just pointed back to the WTC website). The app also showed that a ‘Mood Meter’ was coming soon — it will allow users to check in daily and log how they’re feeling.

Introducing the new #PocketWell app: Available now, the app gives you another easy and free way to access online mental health resources and substance use supports. If you’re struggling, please reach out.

iPhones: https://t.co/7YkNpAhyeE
Androids: https://t.co/x8UwNpkV2V

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 14, 2022

In a press release, the government said that over 2 million people across all the provinces and territories accessed the WTC portal as of January 10th, 2022. Further, 20,000-30,000 people use the services weekly. The government expects that the launch of PocketWell will lead to more Canadians using and benefiting from WTC. Moreover, the government cited a user survey that indicated 73 percent of users believed they would use WTC more frequently if an app were available. 83 percent said they could benefit from an easy way to track their mental well-being.

You can download PocketWell for free on iOS and Android, or visit the WTC website here.