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Mental health apps lean on bots and unlicensed therapists

Psychologists weigh the pros of wider access against the need for more evidence.
  1. Colin Barras
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Martin Barraud/ OJO Images/ Getty

Feeling down? Unmotivated? Stressed out? Talk to Sibly, the coaching platform from a San Francisco–based start-up that is “[o]n a mission to provide accessible, affordable, and effective mental health care for everyone”, according to its Twitter profile. Since 2016, the company has been helping people talk through their problems. Or rather, text through them. In place of a face-to-face conversation, Sibly offers key services through smartphone instant messaging. And in place of licensed therapists, a team of four to six nonlicensed ‘coaches’ help the client.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41591-019-00009-6

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