Wysa: Self-care at your fingertips

Ithaca College students, employees and dependents have free premium access to Wysa, a self-care phone application that helps navigate stress, anxiety, sleep, negative thoughts, and confidence-building with clinically proven self-help tools. To access the premium version of Wysa at no cost, IC members must download the application and create an account using the Ithaca College link or referral code, accessible here

Founded in 2017, Wysa has been internationally recognized for its innovative and clinically validated digital application. Drawing from its closed Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform – meticulously developed by a team of internationally certified psychologists, designers, developers and anonymous data from over 500,000 users – the application offers a variety of self-care resources to help support users’ mental health resilience and emotional wellbeing using science backed research and theories including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) strategies to develop effective self-care tools. 

Tools Available in the Wysa Phone Application

Wysa has a vast variety of different tools that can be used, depending on the needs and goal of the user. Please see the information below about the available tools in the Wysa Phone Application and how to access these different tools.

Wysa offers a personalized chatbot for the user to communicate with every single time they open the app. Furthermore, Wysa will then recommend various health practices based on your conversations!

  • To access the chat, simply open the Wysa app for the first time that day! Wysa the penguin will begin chatting with you immediately.
  • To resume a conversation with Wysa after leaving the conversation tab, simply select the pop up on the bottom of the screen that says “Continue Conversation”

Wysa recommends a roadmap to users based on the information they provide to Wysa in their check ins. After completing a certain number of check-ins or tasks, users unlock the next step of their roadmap.

  • To unlock your roadmap, open the Wysa app
  • Wysa will then take you to the tasks personalized to you on your roadmap
  • Watch your progress grow day by day!
  • Alternatively, users can check their roadmap at any time by selecting the “Roadmap” bubble on the home tab. Simply look to the top of your screen!

Set goals for yourself and utilize tracking tools to monitor your progress towards longer term personal growth.

  • Goal Setting: Select "Explore" on the bottom menu, select "Tools" (in the top left under the Explore heading) and then select "Goals" the lightening bolt image

The Wysa Application allows you to access various tool packs that assist in improving a myriad of mental health needs. These tool packs cover the topics of essential wellness, building confidence, getting energy, improving self esteem, remote wellness, health anxiety, productivity, beating stress, deep sleep, sleep stories, sleep sounds, grief, pain, managing anxiety, managing anger, practicing positivity, healthy relationships, breakups, assessing oneself, putting your mind at ease, sleep habits, being mindful, coping with nightmares, calming your mind, fresh mornings, trauma, pregnancy, students, overcoming loneliness, inspiring oneself, LGBTQIA, financial anxiety and locating peace.

  • Select “self care” on the bottom menu
  • Scroll through the Tool Packs and select one.
  • Select an activity you would like to partake in. You can favorite the activity by selecting the heart next to it. You can get more information about the activity by selecting the “i” next to it.

Wysa offers quick and easy shortcuts to various commonly used tool packs, for example if you are using any of the sleeping tools, deep sleep exercises, sleep stories or sleep sounds on a regular basis. These conveient tool packs allow the user to quickly choose a set of helpful tools without having to scroll through all of the tool packs on the self care tab!

  • Open the Wysa app and make sure that you’re on the homepage.
  • Scroll through the “Self Care” bubbles at the top of the page!
  • Happy coping!
Seeking Student Brand Ambassadors

If you are an IC student that has found the Wysa phone application helpful and would like to promote this resource to your peers and earn free Wysa swag please consider joining the Brand Ambassador Team!