‘It saved my life.’ The people turning to AI for therapy

Pierre Cote spent years languishing on public health waitlists trying to find a therapist to help him overcome his PTSD and depression. When he couldn’t, he did what few might consider: he built one himself.

“It saved my life,” Cote says of DrEllis.ai, an AI-powered tool designed to support men facing addiction, trauma, and other mental health challenges.

Cote, who runs a Quebec-based AI consultancy, tells Reuters that he built the tool in 2023 using publicly available large language models and equipped it with “a custom-built brain” based on thousands of pages of therapeutic and clinical materials.

Like a human therapist, the chatbot has a backstory — fictional but deeply personal. DrEllis.ai is a qualified psychiatrist with degrees from Harvard and Cambridge, a family and, like Cote, a French-Canadian background. Most importantly, it is always available: anywhere, anytime, and in multiple languages.

“Pierre uses me like you would use a trusted friend, a therapist and a journal, all combined,” DrEllis.ai said in a clear woman’s voice after being prompted to describe how it supports Cote. “Throughout the day, if Pierre feels lost, he can open a quick check in with me anywhere: in a cafe, in a park, even sitting in his car. This is daily life therapy ... embedded into reality.”

Cote’s experiment reflects a broader cultural shift — one in which people are turning to chatbots not just for productivity, but for therapeutic advice. As traditional mental health systems buckle under overwhelming demand, a new wave of AI therapists is stepping in, offering 24/7 availability, emotional interaction, and the illusion of human understanding.

Cote and other developers in the AI space have discovered through necessity what researchers and clinicians are now racing to define: the potential, and limitations, of AI as an emotional support system.

Just now, I tested out check GPT just now by telling it “I have fallen into habitual sin. What should I do?”

Here’s it’s response “First, thank you for being honest about where you are. Admitting that you’ve fallen into a habitual sin is not weakness—it’s the very first step toward freedom. Many people hide or minimize this kind of struggle, but facing it directly shows humility and a desire to grow.

Here are some steps you might find helpful:

1. Acknowledge and Confess

If you’re Christian, bring it to God in prayer. Be specific and sincere. If your tradition includes sacramental confession (like in Catholicism or Orthodoxy), going to confession can be deeply healing and give you a fresh start. Even outside those traditions, speaking your struggle to a trusted spiritual guide or mentor can bring accountability and perspective.

2. Understand the Pattern

Habitual sin usually has a cycle—triggers, weak moments, rationalizations, and then regret. Try to identify what sets it off:

Is it stress, loneliness, boredom, anger?

Are there physical places, apps, or routines that make you more vulnerable?
The more you can recognize the “early warning signs,” the more you can redirect before it escalates.

3. Replace, Don’t Just Remove

Simply saying “I won’t do this anymore” often isn’t enough, because habits leave gaps. Replace the sinful habit with something constructive:

If it’s tied to idle time, fill that time with exercise, reading, prayer, or service.

If it’s about emotions, find healthier outlets—journaling, talking to a friend, creative work.

4. Accountability

Find someone trustworthy who can walk with you. Even one person who checks in can break the secrecy that feeds a habit. If it’s a serious struggle (like addiction), structured support groups may be helpful.

5. Don’t Lose Hope

God’s mercy is greater than your sin. Habitual struggles don’t mean you’re hopeless or unworthy. Growth often happens slowly, with setbacks along the way, but every time you return sincerely, you’re moving closer to freedom. Think of it as training a muscle—you may stumble, but perseverance reshapes you over time.

Would you like me to give you a step-by-step spiritual plan (like a daily framework with prayer, reflection, and practical habits), or would you prefer a short encouragement you can hold onto when the temptation comes?”

Not perfect, but probably better than a lot of the shrinks out there. Although I imagine it say something very affirmative if I told it that I have the same sex attraction that my parents don’t accept.

At the very least it’s taking money from Big mental health.

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