Date of Award
2024
First Advisor
Anne O'Dwyer
Second Advisor
Jennifer Daniels
Abstract
In this thesis, I begin by reviewing the principles and key practices of five major schools of psychotherapy: psychoanalytic/psychodynamic; client-centered/humanistic; rational emotive; cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); and existential therapy. I then elaborate on the centrality of the therapeutic alliance across all five of these psychotherapies. Drawing on this analysis, I then explore how four of the most often-used AI mental health chatbot applications—Pi, Youper, Wysa, and Woebot—strive to create a therapeutic alliance between the app and the user, and then evaluate how successful each app is in building therapeutic alliance with its users—drawing on the relevant psychotherapy frameworks. I conclude by discussing the pros and cons of AI mental health apps and the possible implications of this analysis for the future therapeutic practices and well-being.
Recommended Citation
Liu, Ruitong, "AI Mental Health ChatBots: Approaches to Creating a Therapeutic Alliance" (2024). Senior Theses. 1673.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/sr-theses/1673
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