WINDSOR, ONT. -- A psychology professor from the University of Windsor is leading a study to assess the effectiveness of a phone application to manage anxiety.

Lance Rappaport is leading a team of researchers to access MindShift, a free tool developed by the experts at Anxiety Canada in order to help manage psychological distress.

The free app has been available for several years, but the group of mental health professionals are now evaluating how well it is working.

Anxiety Canada, the non-profit organization who developed the app has awarded Rappaport a grant of just over $21,000 to fund the research.

The study asks participants to watch a short video explaining MindShift before using the app for 16 weeks.