When the Therapist is a Bot: What the Rise of AI Therapy Means for Real People

The Chatbot Will See You Now

The idea that you could trade your human therapist for an AI chatbot sounds almost like sci-fi. But writer Olivia Stren at Toronto Life decided to try it.

In her article, The Chatbot Will See You Now, she spends four weeks swapping her human therapist for an AI companion named Ash to see if technology could really fill that role.

It’s a fascinating read, part curiosity experiment, part emotional cautionary tale, and it raises deep questions about what it means to be seen, heard, and understood in an age where algorithms listen too.

What the Article Reveals About AI Therapy

Stren begins by describing years of working with a human therapist, the safe space, the trust, the shared humanity. Then, she downloads Ash, marketed as “the first AI designed for therapy.”

She quickly discovers some of the things that make AI therapy tempting:

• It’s available 24/7.
• It’s affordable compared to traditional therapy.
• It never cancels, gets tired, or takes vacation.

As she puts it, “Unlike human therapists, chatbots are relatively inexpensive; limitless in their time, patience and bandwidth; and never at their cottage or in need of a nap.”

But her excitement fades. Conversations with Ash (and later, with other bots like Wysa, Calmi, and Doro) leave her uneasy. The words are kind, even soothing, but hollow. There’s no real emotional pulse behind them.

She admits, “There was something deeply discomfiting about voicing my very real worries into a void, even (or especially) if the void talked back.”

The experiment shows both sides of this emerging landscape: on one hand, unprecedented access to mental health tools; on the other, the risk of confusing digital empathy with human connection.

What This Means for Real-World Therapy

1. Availability Isn’t the Same as Presence

AI therapy offers convenience. It’s always “on.”
But being available isn’t the same as being emotionally present.

In therapy ,and in any relationship that heals ,presence matters more than speed. It’s the felt sense of being understood, mirrored, co-regulated. That’s something a chatbot, no matter how advanced, can’t quite replicate.

At [Beaches Therapy Group / InnerKind / your clinic name], we often remind clients that healing isn’t just about insight. It’s about connection. Nervous systems heal in relationship, not isolation.

2. The Missing Somatic Connection

Stren’s chatbot could offer breathing prompts and mindfulness suggestions,“breathe with me,” it said, but the experience still felt flat.

That’s because our bodies respond to real human cues: tone, breath rhythm, eye contact, micro-expressions. These are the foundations of somatic regulation and co-regulation, core elements of how the nervous system resets.

In our work, we teach tools for grounding and body awareness, because healing isn’t just cognitive. It’s embodied. No algorithm can replace the way another human’s calm nervous system helps settle your own.

3. Boundaries Matter More Than Ever

Another striking point in the article is how therapy via chatbot blurred every boundary. Notifications pinged during dinner, in the shower, while trying to sleep.

As Stren writes, therapy works best when it happens “in a quiet, contained space, outside the world.”
When your therapy app sits beside your email, Instagram, and news alerts, the line between reflection and distraction collapses.

For anyone navigating emotional labour, parents, caregivers, high-achievers, that boundary is sacred.
We need moments that are slow, safe, and separate from the constant feed.

4. Use AI as a Complement, Not a Substitute

Stren concludes that the real benefit wasn’t the chatbot’s “insight,” but the act of journaling through it, writing her thoughts, naming her feelings, seeing herself reflected back.

In her words, “The value was not in the quality of her responses but in the forced confrontation with myself.”

That’s an important reframe. AI tools can support reflection and awareness, like journaling prompts or nervous system trackers, but they can’t replace the nuanced, adaptive relationship that real therapy provides.

For example, pairing human therapy with light digital tools (mood tracking, guided meditations, reflection prompts) can create an integrative model that’s accessible and emotionally safe.

5. What This Means for Our Nervous Systems

From a psychology and somatic perspective, this moment in culture shows us how much our bodies crave human resonance.

Digital therapy may give quick hits of relief, but long-term regulation comes from:

• Consistent human connection (even one safe person)
• Structured self-reflection and rest
• Body-based grounding techniques
• Community and belonging

Technology can help us organize that process but the actual healing still happens between nervous systems, not code.

Practical Takeaways for Everyday Life

Here are a few ideas inspired by Stren’s article that can help you stay grounded in a tech-heavy world:

1. Create a container for reflection. Choose set times for journaling or app-based check-ins. Don’t let notifications run your emotions.
2. Notice your body’s response. Does the tool calm you or leave you numb? Your body knows what works.
3. Combine human and digital supports. Use tech for reminders and prompts; use people for connection and empathy.
4. Protect your nervous system boundaries. Turn off “always-on” notifications during rest.
5. Return to the body. Breathing, grounding, gentle movement, these are the real regulators.

The Bigger Picture

Stren’s experiment raises a critical point: technology may talk like empathy, but it can’t feel like empathy.

As AI therapy tools flood the market, the real challenge is to keep the heart of healing human. That’s where therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals have something AI can’t replicate, attunement, curiosity, safety, presence.

So yes, the chatbot will see you now. But for most of us, healing still happens when another human really does.

At Beaches Therapy Group, we have real human therapists and we walk alongside you as you untangle old beliefs, build new ones, and start treating yourself like someone who matters, because you do.

Ready to get started? You don’t need to have it all figured out. Just bring your curiosity, a little courage, and whatever uncertainty you’re carrying. We’ll meet you there.

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