No. ChatGPT and other AI chatbots are not psychologists or therapists. They can be a place to think out loud and sort your thoughts, but they cannot assess, diagnose or treat, and they take no responsibility for follow-up. If you have been struggling for a while, start with your doctor. If you want to practise self-understanding, BeBalanced.ai is an AI coach developed by Norwegian clinical psychologists. It is not healthcare either.
Many people search for an "AI therapist" or an "AI psychologist", and many already use ChatGPT to talk about how they feel. It is easy to see why: it answers at once, at any hour, and it does not judge you.
But an AI chatbot is not a psychologist. A psychologist is a licensed health professional trained to assess, diagnose and treat, bound by confidentiality and responsible for you as a patient. A general chatbot is a language model that produces likely replies to what you write. It can help you put things into words, but it does not know who you are, and it is not responsible for what happens next.
That does not mean you should never use it. It means you should know what you are using it for.
| General AI chatbot | Psychologist | |
|---|---|---|
| Thinking out loud and naming feelings | Yes, at any time | Yes, in sessions |
| Assessing how you are doing | No | Yes, with clinical methods |
| Diagnosis | No | Yes |
| Treatment | No | Yes |
| Follow-up over time | No responsibility for follow-up | Responsible for you as a patient |
| In an emergency | Can point to crisis numbers, but cannot get you help | Can make sure you get help |
| Confidentiality | Depends on the service's terms | Required by law |
| Availability | Around the clock | Appointments, often a waiting list |
AI can be a place to reflect. Assessment, diagnosis and treatment belong with health professionals.
A general chatbot is built to be helpful and pleasant. That can feel good, but it can also confirm a skewed reading of a situation or keep a spiral of thoughts going instead of questioning it.
It follows no professional plan for the conversation, and it does not know when something should be assessed by a professional. It can also be wrong while sounding completely sure.
When you close the window, the conversation is over. No one notices if you get worse, and no one follows up.
Research has found that popular chatbots respond inconsistently to suicide-related questions between low and high risk. If you are in crisis, contact a person.
Clinical psychologist Sondre Risholm Liverød, one of the psychologists behind BeBalanced.ai, writes in the Norwegian medical paper Dagens Medisin that many patients already talk to AI about their lives. The question is no longer whether AI gets a role in mental health, but what role.
His point is that general language models do what feels right: they explain, reassure and agree. That brings calm in the moment. But an explanation that becomes too final can end the exploring – you are left with one interpretation of yourself. He compares it to a sedative: it relieves, but it does not necessarily move you on, and it can become a recipe for dependence.
There is another risk too: a conversation partner who is always available, never tired and always understanding can feel easier than people. Psychological growth is rarely about getting the right answers; it is about finding a new way of relating to your own thoughts and feelings.
Source: Sondre Risholm Liverød, "AI-terapi – Skal vi overlate det til Silicon Valley?", Dagens Medisin, 9 April 2026 (in Norwegian). The author is a founder of BeBalanced.ai.
What you share about your feelings is some of the most personal information there is. Read the service's privacy policy before you write anything you would not tell a stranger, and look for answers to these questions:
If in doubt, leave out names and other details that could identify you or others.
If you have been feeling bad for a while, are sleeping badly, cannot manage everyday life, or are worried about how you feel, talk to your doctor. They can assess how you are doing and refer you on.
If you have thoughts of harming yourself, contact your local emergency services or a crisis line. In Norway: 113 in an emergency, 116 117 for out-of-hours care, or the Mental Helse helpline on 116 123.
BeBalanced.ai was developed by the Norwegian clinical psychologists Sondre and Janne Risholm Liverød, the psychologists behind the SinnSyn podcast, together with psychologist Maria Abrahamsen.
According to Sondre Risholm Liverød, the coach is built to create movement rather than to conclude: a balance between validating and offering new perspectives, with questions rather than finished answers. The psychologists set the premises, and the conversation is anchored in the material they have built up over many years.
You take a 120-question Big Five personality test once. The coach uses the profile to adapt its questions and tone in conversation.
The coach remembers conversations and journal entries over time, so you do not have to start over each time.
You only need a first name or nickname, not an email address. Data is stored in Stockholm, and you can delete it.
BeBalanced.ai is a tool for mental training and self-understanding. It is not healthcare, and it is not a psychologist. Read more about what an AI coach is at /en/what-is-an-ai-coach.
The studies concern the chatbots and model versions available when they were done. They say nothing about BeBalanced.ai.
Core costs 149 NOK a month and includes the AI coach in chat, the journal, the Big Five test and the full exercise library. Core + Voice costs 249 NOK a month and adds voice, Together mode and My body. Both start with 7 days free, with no commitment.
No. ChatGPT can be a place to think out loud and sort your thoughts, but it cannot assess, diagnose or treat, and it takes no responsibility for follow-up. If you have been struggling for a while, talk to your doctor.
No. A psychologist is a licensed health professional bound by confidentiality and responsible for you as a patient. An AI chatbot can help you put things into words, but assessment and treatment belong with health professionals.
It can be a useful place to reflect, but check where conversations are stored, whether they are used to train models, and whether you can delete them. Be aware that a chatbot tends to agree with you. If you are in crisis, contact your local emergency services or a crisis line.
No AI is a therapist, free or not. Free help from people is available from crisis lines and, depending on where you live, public health services. Your doctor can tell you what is available.
There is no such thing as an AI therapist. If you want to use AI to reflect, look for a tool made by professionals, that is clear it is not treatment, and that explains where your data is stored.
A psychologist assesses, diagnoses and treats. An AI coach such as BeBalanced.ai is a tool for mental training and self-understanding, developed by clinical psychologists. It is not healthcare.
BeBalanced.ai is a tool for mental training, not healthcare or treatment, and not a psychologist. If you need someone to talk to now, contact your local emergency services or a crisis line. In Norway: 116 117 (out-of-hours), 116 123 (Mental Helse helpline) or 113 in an emergency.