Therapy Companion Mobile App for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Exercises (ACTaide): Therapist and Client Co-Design Study

The study illustrates the value of using a user-centered, co-design approach in the development of ACTaide, an adjunctive mental health app for the between-session practice of ACT exercises and metaphors tailored to therapist and client preferences. Through the integration of stakeholder feedback, the findings provide actionable insights for designing psychotherapy tools that balance clinical goals with user preferences. Future research will focus on testing high-fidelity prototypes to evaluate acceptability, usability, and engagement.