Technology and talking therapies – do we still need humans?

According to an article in the Guardian late last year nearly 40% of young people referred to CAMHS were turned down.  This could be for many reasons, but the least likely one is that they didn’t require help. This underlines the lack of resources available for children and young people who are in need of help to address their mental health concerns. There is a need for more support. But does it have to come from humans?

There has been a welcome increase in awareness, in recent years, of the need to support children’s mental health, with a rise in the number of ways to help them, particularly in teaching them to be more resilient, to identify when issues are arising, and how to look after themselves. However, sometimes, there is a need for them  to reach out for help from others. With a shortage of humans available, perhaps technology can bridge the gap.

There might also be situations when talking to technology has advantages over talking to a human being.  One recent study asked whether people with Autistic spectrum conditions (ASC) preferred online communication to face to face.

“A particular challenge is the complex, fast changing, and varied conditions under which communication occurs. People with autism tend to prefer environments in which communication is highly structured with few distracting signals to cause sensory overload.”

In this study, technology provided a more predictable, structured, environment which people with ASC felt better able to cope with.

However, it maybe that many others, even those who are ‘neurotypical’ might prefer a consultation with a virtual therapist. At the University of California they have been working on a on-screen helper who, through using advanced artificial intelligence, responds both to what is said, and to body language.

“It’s obvious that Ellie is not “real,” and therein lies the secret to her success — people feel less judged talking to Ellie. She provides the ultimate in unconditional positive regard. Although Ellie looks like a therapist, she doesn’t claim to be one, telling people from the outset, “I’m just here to listen.”

In one study they found that soldiers with PTSD where more willing to talk to Ellie than to a human counsellor, perhaps because there were fewer concerns about the impact on their career of opening up about their concerns, which might ultimately have to be passed on.

As you can see here, Ellie is working on sophisticated algorithms that elicit responses from users that help them think about their situation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejczMs6b1Q4 . Not only does ‘she’ respond to what is said, but also to gestures and facial expression.

There are also apps such as Woebot that use AI to provide a readily available, immediate, prop for people feeling anxious and unsure. However, these are aimed at adults, not children and young people. There are, though, a number of resources designed specifically for them.

Kooth, www.kooth.com, provides an online place for adolescents to raise their concerns, as does www.meetwo.co.uk, both of which provide peer support with moderation from human counsellors.

There are also apps such as ClearFear, which provides resources to cope with anxiety, and CalmHarm, which focuses specifically on self-harming. These not only provide coping strategies, but also enable users to keep a record of at what points these issues arise.

Younger children might find www.positivepenguins.com helpful. Here, their particular concerns are challenged by a set of penguins who will offer positive alternatives to the anxieties that are besetting them.

Whilst there might be a role for technology in helping to provide immediate support when needed, it doesn’t appear, yet, that AI will replace therapists, as this clip reports https://youtu.be/AE966uR09es .

As in most things, the technology is becoming increasingly helpful, but it is some way off from replacing human interaction.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *