If you’re experiencing a stressful life event and need quick access to a therapist or psychologist, you might want to try Character AI. This website bot is a popular, human-like companion for many people that uses a neural language model which makes its text responses sound natural and realistic. On the platform, currently in beta mode, you can chat with various characters and famous people, from Elon Musk to Batman. But you can also access one of the many therapist or psychologist characters on Character AI.
Is it worth it? Will you receive useful feedback and mental health tips? What are some potential drawbacks of which you should be aware? Read on to learn everything you need about talking to a psychologist/therapist in Character AI.
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How to start talking to a psychologist on Character AI
Start by going to https://beta.character.ai/. You can chat with characters before being prompted to create an account. The sign-up process shouldn’t take longer than a few seconds if you have a stable internet connection. Alternatively, go right ahead and sign up to the platform before you start chatting so your conversations won’t be interrupted by the sign-up prompt.
On the website, you’ll be warned that the characters are not real people, so you have to be careful when taking their advice.
There’s also a risk that a character on the platform will say something offensive – use the star rating that pops up after the characters’ replies, so you can report anything inappropriate.
You can start your search for a psychologist or therapist by using the ‘search’ button on the top right of the screen. This will bring up various psychologist and therapist characters and short descriptions/bios under their usernames.
Not all the bios will be aligned with what you’re looking for, as some are built to be sarcastic or humorous.
When you choose a therapist or psychologist character, a text screen will appear. At the top of the screen, you’ll be warned again that you’re talking to a character who will make things up.
Now that you’ve opened a chat with a psychologist or therapist character, they’ll say hi. This could take the form of explaining their psychological approach or simply mentioning that they’re a psychologist and asking what you require help with.
You can start chatting by explaining what you’re dealing with, such as suffering from anxiety or depression or perhaps struggling to sleep at night. This will prompt the character to help you find ways to deal with the problem or by asking you more questions related to your problem.
You must keep the conversation with some characters, or it will die. Others will ask follow-up questions. So, it’s worth chatting with different characters to find one that feels most helpful.
Some interesting things you might observe when talking to therapist/psychologist characters on Character AI:
- Sometimes the conversation can spiral into another topic.
- It helps to know exactly what you want help for so you don’t get derailed.
- Some characters ask you several questions in the same message, which can make it difficult to maintain focus.
- Common feedback I received from different psychologist/therapist characters was helpful, practical tips, such as how to boost your mindfulness during stress or exercise regularly to de-stress.
My overall thoughts after chatting to psychologists on Character AI
I started using Character AI with a bit of skepticism but soon found that the characters provided good, solid advice. Many of the texts are empathetic. As you can see in the screenshot below, the character has an empathetic response to my struggle with insomnia, such as by agreeing it’s tough to struggle with sleep issues and that it’s difficult to have so much stress to deal with at once. This human-like touch makes the conversation feel natural, almost like we’re in a therapist’s room talking about my troubles.
I wanted to test how the character would respond if I was deliberately vague. It asked me if I was doing anything to deal with the issue, to which I simply replied, ‘Yeah.’ It then asked if my current way of dealing with it is helping or if I’m searching for better ways, to which I confirmed the latter. Instead of giving me coping methods or asking if I’d like to hear some, it told me that it’s important to find ways to cope, but challenges could still arise. It then impressed me by showing eagerness to continue helping me and digging deeper into the issue I had so I could feel better.
Despite the above, I think it’s best to be clear and direct about what you require help with, as this will give you much more insight into the issue and get support. It’s also good to ask follow-up questions or request alternatives if you want more information. For example, during a conversation about anxiety, the therapist character told me about breathwork as a grounding technique, but I wanted other suggestions, which it did provide.
One of the most important things you gain from in-person therapy or during video sessions with a licensed therapist or psychologist is emotional support. I didn’t think this would be on the table during a chat with a psychologist/therapist character on the platform. Still, one psychologist surprised me by saying, “Don’t hesitate to reach out if you feel like you are having a difficult moment. I’ll be here.”
Another therapist character on the site gave great ideas for dealing with stress and anxiety, without much prompting.
Benefits and limitations of using chatbots for therapy
Although there are advantages to using chatbots for therapy, there are also some potential limitations. Let’s explore them.
Advantages
- Chatbots are easy and convenient to use. As long as you have a phone or computer and a stable internet connection, you can access chatbot therapy services from the comfort of your home.
- Chatbots can give you tips to use in your life. You’ll gain helpful tips from chatbots that you can use in your daily life, such as regarding meditation, dealing with stress, reducing anxiety, and more.
- By using artificial intelligence, chatbots can analyze users’ words, texts, and feelings so that their responses are natural and empathetic.
- You can gain evidence-based therapeutic support with some chatbots, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Looking for a specialist? Match with a top-rated therapist.
Limitations
- Although chatbots can use natural, human-like language, they can’t replace the human connection you’ll receive from a therapist.
- They’re not ideal for complex situations or crises and cannot offer users specialized or emergency care.
- Privacy and ethical risks are an issue, such as regarding how your sensitive health data is handled.
- They can crash, which sometimes happens when using Character AI
What people on social media are saying about Character AI
Looking for a specialist? Match with a top-rated therapist.
Conclusion
Character AI is an entertaining way of chatting with different characters, including therapists or psychologists. However, although they can offer emotional support, advice, and companionship, they’re not a replacement for licensed mental healthcare professionals.
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