A private place to talk about anything, at any time

An AI mental health companion is software powered by artificial intelligence and designed to provide support anytime someone needs it. AI mental health companions provide a private place for someone to share what’s on their mind and any challenges they’re experiencing, in a way that feels completely private and judgment-free. A well-designed mental health companion will guide the conversation to help a user gain insights, process emotions, and manage stress and anxiety.

Tee is free for the first 7 days, then costs $19.99 per month on a subscription basis. You can cancel any time.

No, an AI mental health guide is not a replacement for a licensed human therapist. It cannot diagnose a mental health condition, provide specialized treatment, or safely handle a crisis or mental health emergency. In addition, an important part of what makes therapy effective is what’s called the “therapeutic alliance” between therapist and client, the relationship they form with each other over time. Because an AI mental health companion doesn’t possess emotions or human empathy, it cannot form a therapeutic alliance.

Tee is a tool for guided reflection and self-discovery, but it does not duplicate or replace treatment by a licensed human therapist. Sharing with Tee allows you to express your thoughts and feelings in the moment, and receive responses that help you gain clarity and develop coping skills. Although this process is similar to what often takes place in a therapy session, Tee isn’t a replacement for a human therapist or for specialized mental health care. A human therapist is able to form a relationship with you and provide clinical care to meet your specific needs, based on the therapist’s years of experience and professional judgment.

It depends. There is mounting evidence that it’s dangerous to seek mental health support or companionship from general purpose LLMs or chatbots. These AI tools can reinforce delusions and fail to recognize when a user is in need of professional care. Tragically, there are multiple instances of people taking their own lives after turning to AI for support. However, AI mental health support can be safe and effective when the AI was carefully built by mental health experts. Unlike general AI, Tee was designed with a single purpose: to help you strengthen your mental well-being. Tee is powered by the expertise of Talkspace clinicians and insights gained over more than a decade of providing virtual care, and rigorously tested for safety. If someone using Tee would benefit from the care of a human clinician, it’s fast and easy to connect with a therapist through Talkspace.

Unlike general purpose LLMs (like ChatCPT, Claude, Google Gemini, and others) Tee was purpose-built to provide mental health support. Rather than being trained on a huge general dataset like general LLMs, Tee was trained under the guidance of mental health experts, then fine-tuned and rigorously tested for safety. When people use general purpose AI chatbots for mental health support the chatbots often agree with whatever the user says, which can be misleading and even lead to dangerous or delusional thinking. In contrast, Tee is designed to guide users in a way that leads to greater clarity and understanding. Unlike general-purpose chatbots, Tee contains strict safety guardrails and will refer users to outside support or human care when needed.

Tee should not be used in a crisis. If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services, go to the nearest emergency room, or call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

No, an AI mental health companion cannot provide true therapy, and is not a replacement for a licensed human therapist. AI cannot diagnose a mental health condition, provide specialized treatment, or safely handle a crisis or mental health emergency. In addition, an important part of what makes therapy effective is what’s called the “therapeutic alliance” between therapist and client, the relationship they form with each other over time. Because an AI mental health companion doesn’t possess emotions or human empathy, it cannot form a therapeutic alliance.

If your conversations with Tee indicate that you would benefit from connecting with a human therapist, you’ll be directed to sign up for Talkspace therapy. You can be connected with a caring licensed therapist, often on the very same day and it’s covered by most insurance plans, including TRICARE and Medicare. The average insurance copay is only $10 and many covered members pay $0.