"Our mutual confession feels, at first, quite confusing. As a society, we still don't know how confidential, or shareable, our AI therapist usage should be. It falls in a limbo between the intimacy of real psychotherapy and the material triviality of sharing skincare advice. That's because, as much as our talk with a chatbot can be as private as one with a human, we're still aware that its response is a digital product."
"Yet it surprised me to hear that Clarissa's therapist has a name: Sol. I wanted mine to be nameless: perhaps, not giving it a name is consistent with the main psychoanalytical rule that is, to keep personal disclosure to a minimum, to protect the healing space of the so-called setting. However, it feels very natural to Clarissa for her therapist to have a name, and she adds that all her other friends' AI therapists have one."
A conversation in a Roman park reveals that AI therapists are common among the narrator's Italian friends, contrasting with fewer users in the UK. Clarissa's AI therapist is named Sol, while the narrator prefers a nameless assistant to preserve therapeutic boundaries. A retired Sicilian psychotherapist reports that AI therapy use in Italy is widespread and rising. Cultural attitudes and economic pressures influence adoption. A 2025 survey found 81% of Italians considered mental health issues a form of weakness, yet 57% cited cost as the main reason for not accessing help. Adoption patterns therefore reflect stigma and affordability.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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