Jackie Lay / NPR

Kristen Johansson's therapy ended with a single phone call.

For five years, she'd trusted the same counselor — through her mother's death, a divorce and years of childhood trauma work. But when her therapist stopped taking insurance, Johansson's $30 copay ballooned to $275 a session overnight. Even when her therapist offered a reduced rate, Johansson couldn't afford it. The referrals she was given went nowhere.

"I was devastated," she said.

Six months later, the 32-year-old mom is still without a human therapist. But she hears from a therapeutic voice every day — via ChatGPT, an app developed by Open AI. Johansson pays for the app's $20-a-month service upgrade to remove time limits. To her surprise, she says it has helped her in ways human therapists couldn't.

Always

See Full Page