244 Timothy J. Beck and Jacob W. Glazier
CHARTING TRENDS FOR ALTERNATIVE
PSYCHOSOCIAL PRACTICES
In the ways described so far, mental health services have become more
widely distributed across diverse social institutions and professional
settings. Services traditionally provided solely by psychiatrists in hospitals,
for instance, are now integrated into the training of a wide range of
professionals that include social workers, counselors, and marriage and
family therapists, not to mention clinical psychologists. As has been noted,
this process of decentralization is still ongoing to date. As a result of these
developments, alternative practices have likewise entered into common
vernaculars and have been granted more social space to be made
accessible. Some of these alternatives include: (1) the use of digital apps
and network models that afford clinicians new methods of tracking and
intervening in the lives of clients; (2) perspectives critical of conventional
diagnostic and treatment approaches, coupled with the creation of
communities of users and survivors of mental health treatment seeking to
democratize psychosocial care; and finally (3) concepts of indigeneity and
experimental practices that challenge the traditional, colonialist enterprise
of maintaining order through procedures of diagnosis and medical
intervention.
With the advent of the Internet and mobile phones, there are now
digital apps available to the general public opening up services to a much
larger portion of the population than what was possible in the past. Some
of these apps include Talkspace and Moodpath. The former provides both
real-time and asynchronous therapy with a fully licensed clinical mental
health professional. The client is charged a set fee depending on the
package they select and the frequency with which they need to meet with
their therapist. Moodpath is pitched as more of a companion, that is not
connected to a mental health professional, insofar as it purports to ease
suffering from depression and anxiety and improve overall mental
wellbeing. The app accomplishes this through audio and written exercise,
journaling, and by tracking emotional states and thoughts throughout the