Relationship Coaching Apps Offer Couples Affordable Therapy

Vox has published an article covering a rise in the popularity of apps that are helping long-term couples work on making their relationships as strong as they can be.

Rebecca Jennings wrote the piece after seeing screenshots from an app called Lasting in a viral tweet. The images showed a series of intimacy alarms that were scheduled, reminding the user to message their partner and “express appreciation” or “text a message that makes my partner smile”.

Lasting is styled as a marriage counselling platform, built to help couples work through issues in their relationships without needing to pay for expensive therapy sessions.

The app itself costs $11.99 per month and has a variety of features, such as programmes which promote better communication.

Liz Colizza, Lasting’s head of marriage research, told Vox: “In the marriage health intro, we talk about this concept of emotional calls, which are these tiny moments throughout your day where you are attempting to connect with your partner or your partner is attempting to connect with you.”

“It could be a call for humor if you’re telling a joke, it can be asking for a massage, it can be asking your partner to unload the dishwasher. There are different ways that we’re essentially asking our partner, ‘Are you there for me?’”

More and more couples are downloading the apps to guide them through the early stages of relationship after finding success on a dating app. This is particularly useful for people who might not have been committed before, or for those who have difficulty expressing their emotions.

The founder of the DNA dating app Pheramor is looking to sell the product in order to focus on a similar service for established relationships. Dr. Brittany Barreto created WeHaveChemistry to provide couples with compatibility tests and advice on how to make their pairing stronger.

Read more here.