In July we celebrated NAIDOC week, honouring the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As such, this month our featured service is iBobbly, a social and emotional wellbeing self-help app for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

iBobbly was developed by Black Dog Institute to provide private and confidential support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians over the age of 15 who are feeling sad and down. The app design and content was shaped by members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to ensure it is culturally informed and safe.

What is iBobbly?

The iBobbly app helps young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people improve their social and emotional wellbeing by showing them ways to manage their thoughts and feelings, and how to decide what is important in their life.

The app has four main features:

1. How do I feel: Walks users through a self-assessment and provides feedback on how they are going. This feature also allows users to keep a mood diary to see how they are tracking.
2. Stuff I can use: Teaches users how to manage their thoughts and feelings, including any suicidal thoughts. This feature also helps users identify the characteristics they want to stand for and encourages them to set realistic, positive goals.
3. How I’m going to beat this: Helps users create a personalized action plan, including tools to monitor their progress.
4. Help: Provides users with help and support options.

iBobbly is a completely self-guided resource which can be used as much or as little as needed, as determined by the user. Research conducted by Black Dog Institute has shown that using iBobbly for six weeks can reduce depression, distress, and suicidal thinking.

Who is iBobbly for?

iBobbly is specifically designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years or older, who are feeling down, sad or having thoughts of hurting themselves. The app can also be accessed by young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians seeking to improve how they are feeling and general wellbeing.

Is there a cost to use iBobbly?

There is no cost to download or use the iBobbly app.

How to access iBobbly

iBobbly can be downloaded from the App Store or on Google Play for Apple or Android smartphones and tablets.

The app requires users to register with their full name, year of birth, email address or mobile number, and postcode (so a list of local health services can be provided). Users can also choose to provide the details of a close support person. Practitioners can also register to use the program.