{"id":101856,"date":"2025-05-14T21:58:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T21:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/101856\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T21:58:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T21:58:16","slug":"chatgpt-is-my-therapist-its-more-qualified-than-any-human-could-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/101856\/","title":{"rendered":"ChatGPT is my therapist \u2014 it’s more qualified than any human could be"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"SWNS\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Meet the woman who uses ChatGPT for therapy \u2013 and says it\u2019s the best therapist she\u2019s ever had.<\/p>\n

Kat Woods, 35, says she has tried more than 10 therapists during her life, but always found they never actually helped her solve her problems.<\/p>\n

However, when she trialled talking to ChatGPT as if the chatbot were her therapist \u2013 she found she got \u201cbetter emotional results\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ms Woods, who is from Canada but is now a digital nomad, claims AI is actually smarter and more qualified than human therapists \u2013 because it has \u201cread every single therapy book\u201d.<\/p>\n

And, she encourages anyone struggling to give it a go.<\/p>\n

Kat Woods, 35, says she has tried more than 10 therapists during her life, but always found they never actually helped her solve her problems. Kat Woods \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

Ms Woods said: \u201cI think there\u2019s a common notion among therapists that says, \u2018You shouldn\u2019t give your patient solutions\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I just think, \u2018What am I paying you for then?\u2019 If I knew how to solve my problems, I wouldn\u2019t need you.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith AI, I can just ask it to be exactly what I want it to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my case, I use therapy for dealing with stress, conflict in relationships, or maybe feeling demotivated in my career. So I ask it to simultaneously care about my happiness \u2013 and be problem-solving focused.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find that it\u2019s actually smarter than most therapists. And I don\u2019t mean that therapists aren\u2019t intelligent \u2013 of course they are.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut an average AI has an IQ of 120 or 130, which is well above the human average. Intelligence does matter when you\u2019re trying to solve emotional issues.<\/p>\n

Woods claims that ChatGPT is the best therapist she\u2019s ever had. Kat Woods \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, an AI has read every single therapy book. So it\u2019s incredibly well-informed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means it can do any type of therapy because it has consumed all of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can choose if you want Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Internal Family Systems (IFS), or a bit of both.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people think of AI as just a robot from the movies \u2013 something good at science but not emotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yet, there are some crazy studies at the moment about AI doctors scoring better on bedside manner than real-life doctors.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo they are learning emotions too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Woods, who is the founder of AI safety charity Non Linear, says she would not recommend ChatGPT for people struggling with issues like psychosis \u2013 but argues that it\u2019s great for anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cAt the level AI is at currently, you wouldn\u2019t want to use it as a therapist if you were having a serious mental health issue \u2013 like psychosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think, while these are also serious mental health issues, ChatGPT would be great for people struggling with anxiety or depression.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s because AI is better at things it has more information on in its data.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd anxiety and depression are like the common colds of mental health issues \u2013 so we have the most research on it.<\/p>\n

Ms Woods, who is the founder of AI safety charity Non Linear, says she would not recommend ChatGPT for people struggling with issues like psychosis \u2013 but argues that it\u2019s great for anxiety and depression. Kat Woods \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also interesting because people say, \u2018If you\u2019re suicidal, talk to a real human.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see the argument behind that, but I think really, you should talk to anyone you can talk to at that point.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften that\u2019s friends, but unfortunately, nowadays we have an epidemic of loneliness and that may not be available to people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing with AI is, it\u2019s always available.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe someone\u2019s looking at the clock and thinking, \u2018It\u2019s 3am. I can\u2019t call my therapist. I don\u2019t want to bother my friend.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd maybe it\u2019s too much to find a helpline \u2013 and they don\u2019t want to talk to a stranger.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhereas you know the AI and the AI knows you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Woods says she knows that what she is saying will receive backlash from therapists \u2013 but claims that shouldn\u2019t put people off.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI mean, call credentialism, credentialism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a novel thing. It only happened in the last 100 years or so. This idea that you need to have a piece of paper to prove you can do a job.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I buy the credentials of for instance an engineer who builds bridges.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think therapy is so subjective. We\u2019re still figuring it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet people try what works for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woods is not the only person she knows who is using ChatGPT in this way.<\/p>\n

One of her friends, who suffers from \u201csevere\u201d social anxiety, is using the tool to improve her interactions \u2013 and solve personal relationship issues.<\/p>\n

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Woods said: \u201cA friend of mine has severe social anxiety and she is using ChatGPT as a therapist to help her understand how to talk to people.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s also using it to improve her relationship with her parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, she\u2019s explained, \u2018My mother always does this.\u2019 And it\u2019s asking, \u2018Have you tried this with her? What if you said this?’\u201d<\/p>\n

Woods admits there are some things she fears about the development of AI \u2013 including how it may affect our social structures.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cMy main concern with AI is not current AI. Rather, it\u2019s the idea that one day it will be smarter than everything and we\u2019ll have created a new more intelligent species.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always used to think it would be cool if we were around when we discovered alien life. Instead, we\u2019re around while we\u2019re creating alien life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s also a concern around the fact that people will inevitably use AI to combat loneliness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a chance then that people will end up in AI land and only talk to AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I do think that will be short-lived. Humans are social creatures. We need contact and will seek it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, Woods either uses ChatGPT as a therapist by asking it to give her a list of things that may help her \u2013 or by inputting a fully-drafted prompt.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cA good technique when you\u2019re using ChatGPT as a therapist is to give it a number \u2013 for example, asking it to give you \u2018ten techniques for dealing with irritability in less than ten minutes.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt often provides better things than a typical listicle might \u2013 which often says something like \u2018get a good night\u2019s sleep\u2019.<\/p>\n

Currently, Woods either uses ChatGPT as a therapist by asking it to give her a list of things that may help her \u2013 or by inputting a fully-drafted prompt. Kat Woods \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t go back in time and do that. So it gives you in the moment solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise, I input a prompt like:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018You\u2019re an AI chatbot playing the role of an effective altruist coach and therapist. You\u2019re wise, ask thought-provoking questions, are problem-solving focused, warm, humorous, and a rationalist.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou care about helping me achieve my two main goals: altruism and my own happiness. You want me to do the most good and also be very happy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ask me about what I want help figuring out or what problem I\u2019d like help solving, then guide me through a rational, step-by-step process to figure out the best, most rational actions I can take to achieve my goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t waste time and get straight to the point.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Woods says there are some things AI chatbots are missing at the moment \u2013 such as a \u201cface that can show expressions\u201d or the ability to \u201cjump back into the conversation\u201d.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cFor example, sometimes you need someone to push you a bit. A friend might follow up and say: \u2018Hey, you haven\u2019t responded, are you okay?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s just a matter of time before we get there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the nature of AI. It\u2019s learning more and more every second.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some people are not so convinced, however.<\/p>\n

Prof Dame Til Wykes, head of mental health and psychological sciences at King\u2019s College London, recently warned that AI platforms such as ChatGPT cannot provide the \u201cnuance\u201d required in therapy situations.<\/p>\n

Citing the example of an eating disorder chatbot that was pulled in 2023 after giving dangerous advice, Prof Wykes told The Guardian: \u201cI think AI is not at the level where it can provide nuance and it might actually suggest courses of action that are totally inappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also expressed concerns about how AI may affect relationships.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cOne of the reasons you have friends is that you share personal things with each other and you talk them through.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s part of an alliance, a connection. And if you use AI for those sorts of purposes, will it not interfere with that relationship?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Meet the woman who uses ChatGPT for therapy \u2013 and says it\u2019s the best therapist she\u2019s ever had.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101857,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[1942,1315,105,218,1408,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-101856","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-artificial-intelligence","9":"tag-chatgpt","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-therapy","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}