A digital lifeline to boost emotional resilience

The Social Service Sector Strategic Roadmap (4ST) is the National Council of Social Service’s (NCSS) guide for empowering individuals, strengthening communities and fostering a more caring and inclusive society. It comprises four strategic thrusts that provide actionable steps and best practices for stakeholders to drive organisational growth and sector-wide impact.

SHINE aligned with three of these strategic thrusts: Empowered and included individuals, families and communities; effective and impactful social service entity; and future-directed social service sector.

At 2 am, a teenager struggling with anxiety opens eBuddy, a mental health app deployed by SHINE Children and Youth Services. Using its mood tracker and calming exercises, they reflect on their emotions and practise breathing techniques to ease their mind. For this young user, eBuddy serves as a lifeline in moments when professional support isn’t immediately available.

The scenario above is precisely the demographic the social service agency aims to support through their app – youths navigating emotional challenges who may lack access to professional help.

Mr Eric Sng (centre) says eBuddy was designed to support youths facing emotional challenges, especially those with limited access to professional help.

Since its launch in 2021, eBuddy has transformed how young people engage with mental health resources. Designed with accessibility and empowerment in mind, the app provides 24/7 support to help youths build emotional resilience. Eric Sng, assistant director at SHINE, shed lights on the app’s development, its transformative impact and plans for its future development.

Meeting youths where they are

The idea for eBuddy was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when SHINE observed growing mental health challenges faced by youths amid the global healthcare crisis. Recognising the potential of mental health apps as effective tools, SHINE seized the opportunity to leverage technology to support young people in managing their well-being.

eBuddy incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver self-help strategies, wellness exercises and sentiment analysis. Its features, such as a mood tracker and a gratitude journal, help users to better understand their emotions and behaviours. By engaging with the app, youths learn to manage stress and anxiety in ways that feel personal and manageable.

The app’s round-the-clock availability also ensures that youths have access to support whenever they need it, particularly during late-night hours when traditional mental health services may not be available. “Based on our data, a lot of people use the app between midnight and 6 am, times when professional help isn’t accessible,” Mr Sng shared.

SHINE collected feedback from mental health practitioners and users to enhance the app’s features, usability and safety.

The journey towards developing eBuddy was not without its share of challenges. Convincing mental health practitioners to embrace the app initially proved challenging as concerns were raised about ethical implications and fears that the app might replace human interaction.

SHINE addressed these concerns by gathering feedback from practitioners and service users to improve the app’s features, user experience and safety. Updates ensured the content remained relevant and appropriate, and was supported by ongoing literature reviews on mental health app usage.

In addition, sharing sessions were organised for practitioners to exchange insights on integrating the app into service delivery as a tool to enhance – not replace – person-based interactions. These efforts helped the team understand the app’s role in complementing professional support.

Optimising intervention and delivering targeted support

The app’s mood tracking feature has been particularly impactful, helping users identify emotional patterns and take proactive steps to manage stress before it escalates. This is especially valuable for individuals facing recurring challenges, as it fosters a sense of agency over their well-being. Additionally, the gratitude journaling feature encourages users to focus on positive aspects of their lives, cultivating a shift toward optimism and resilience.

Beyond benefiting users, eBuddy has enhanced operational efficiency for mental health practitioners. By integrating the app into psychosocial and therapeutic support sessions, practitioners can optimise interventions and reduce time spent on initial assessments. The app’s data-driven insights enable more productive therapy sessions, allowing practitioners to focus on addressing root issues and delivering targeted support.

Since its inception, eBuddy has reached over 600 unique users, providing young people with a vital touchpoint for mental health support.

Vital support from NCSS

The development and implementation of eBuddy were made possible through funding and project management support from NCSS. The funding from NCSS enabled SHINE to focus on developing an app that effectively addressed the needs of both users and practitioners, while its project management expertise helped SHINE to stay on track with timelines and deliverables. NCSS also worked with SHINE to evaluate the app’s impact.

The road ahead

SHINE has aspirations to enhance eBuddy, including integrating generative AI to make the app more interactive. This upgrade aims to help users to better articulate their emotions and engage in deeper self-reflection.

While eBuddy primarily supports youths in the early stages of mental health management, these enhancements aim to maximise its impact throughout their journeys.

Additionally, SHINE is considering features that could assist practitioners with case management, such as live feedback tools to track mood trends and identify early signs of distress.

SHINE plans to enhance eBuddy with generative AI, making it more interactive, thereby helping users express their emotions better.

“The mood tracker is currently only accessible to the youth. If they’re comfortable, they could opt to send a notification to their support worker. This way, if things haven’t been going well for a couple of days, the worker can proactively check in rather than being left in the dark,” said Mr Sng.

These planned upgrades reflect SHINE’s commitment to ensuring eBuddy remains a trusted and effective resource for young people navigating the complexities of mental health. By bridging the gap between technology and human connection, the app serves as a comforting reminder that support is just a tap away.

Learn more about NCSS Social Service Sector Strategic Roadmap (4ST) and find out how you can become a partner in the social service ecosystem.