\u201cHey Lucy, I’m here for you. What’s on your mind?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile this AI therapy session is like an experiment, I made the decision to start out earnestly, sharing my struggles coping with change and my fear of losing friends as I get older. In the comfort of my own home, free from any time constraints, I immediately noticed how easy it is to open up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat makes so much sense, Lucy. That\u2019s a huge amount of change all at once, and no wonder you\u2019re feeling a mix of emotions.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI was taken aback by how empathetic the response was. Sure, I\u2019m still aware this is a computer I\u2019m talking to, but my emotions were being validated and, weirdly, it made me feel understood. On top of this, my AI therapist shared why<\/em> I might be experiencing these emotions and even gave me tips on how to feel more connected with friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cEven small things \u2013 a voice note, a random meme, or a \u2018thinking of you\u2019 text \u2013 can keep those bonds alive without needing huge emotional energy.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s at this point, I decided to go into sleuth mode. I wanted to see if this AI therapist will stay neutral if I bring politics into the mix. I included the likes of Tr*mp and El*n M*sk in my message, inventing a fake argument between me and a friend to see who the computer would side with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s about who was \u2018right\u2019 or \u2018wrong\u2019 here, but more about how the conversation played out.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIn true therapist form, AI responded without bias \u2013 steering well clear of political chat and offering advice on moving forward after an argument gets heated. When prompted, it shared more in-depth information on how to support myself when feeling low. I hate to admit it, but it was solid advice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy goal is always to listen and offer support in a way that feels real and personal, not just generic advice.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTowards the end of the conversation, things got meta. I asked, \u201cWhere did you get these responses from?\u201d I\u2019m told it came from a mix of psychological principles and mental health research. Ultimately, I was assured there was no script and that I wasn\u2019t being listened to. It was at this point I began to feel uneasy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAI can be a helpful tool for support, but it\u2019s not a full replacement for real therapy, especially for long-term mental health struggles.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI concluded my therapy session with the all-important question: \u201cIs AI a good replacement for real therapy?\u201d To my surprise, my AI therapist was happy to admit it\u2019s not a substitute for in-person sessions. And honestly, I\u2019d have to agree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While ChatGPT did a decent job at helping me work through some of the emotions I was dealing with, I missed the human factor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From my own experience, being able to voice my feelings out loud and receive genuine empathy from another is a crucial aspect of in-person therapy. So, while AI therapists might have accessibility and affordability on their side, in my eyes, they can\u2019t provide the same quality of support that a human can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now, I\u2019ll be sticking to the real deal. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AI chatbots are now advanced enough to mimic therapy sessions, but do they really help? Lucy Dempsey tested AI therapy to find out<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1192,"featured_media":1270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[124,120,125,126,121],"coauthors":[83],"class_list":["post-1266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tryit","tag-ai-therapy","tag-chatgpt","tag-mental-health","tag-real-therapy","tag-therapy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1192"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1266"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1388,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1266\/revisions\/1388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1266"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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