I Tried A ChatGPT - Therapist for 3 Months Here’s My Tea
- Dr Vernice Richards
- Apr 20
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 28
As a therapist, I’ve spent years helping high-functioning clients break through mental blocks, regulate under pressure, and perform with clarity.
As a human though my own experiences with therapy has been rocky...I guess, I became for others what I needed for myself.
Traditional therapy never fully fit me. I needed something more. Something that could move at the same pace I do. My mind is wired for problem-solving, and I always needed support that could match that and spin me on my heels when necessary.
After hearing about the use of a ChatGPT Therapist from clients (Blog 1), and being the curious and challenge driven person I am...I tried it too!
I used a ChatGPT Therapist for three months.
Not as a therapist. But as me, to see what it could offer.
I’d already seen clients using AI tools between sessions, and I'd evaluated their experiences for better and for worse, so now I wanted to experience it for myself. Especially as someone who has high exposure to and lives with high-functioning anxiety and the pressure of always performing.
Here’s my honest review
It Felt Like a Safe Space, But Not Quite Connected
There’s a strange comfort in talking to a bot. No judgment. No overexplaining. Just pure, unfiltered thoughts poured into a screen. That emotional safety is rare, especially for high-achievers who are used to curating every word they say.
But it wasn’t without its gaps. The responses were thoughtful, even kind, but often lacked the depth, nuance, or challenge that a human therapist can provide. It was supportive, but I wouldn't say...soul-stirring.
Still, in moments when I needed to exhale without editing myself, it helped.
It Was a Late-Night Lifeline
If you’re high-functioning, you know the 2 a.m. brain spiral. The one where your mind won’t stop turning over that one comment, that one decision, that one client comment that triggered me.
I used ChatGPT as my go-to during those hours. Instead of my usual journal, I would open a chat, write out the spiral, and get something back that felt grounding enough to quiet the noise. It wasn’t deep therapy, but it was enough to shift me out of the loop and back into clarity. Sometimes, that’s all I needed to get back to sleep.
Then Came the Slump
By month two, the novelty wore off. The responses started feeling repetitive. I wasn’t getting what I needed anymore. It started to reflect me too closely; mirroring my overthinking instead of helping me shift out of it. Honestly, it was frustrating! And for the sake of transparency, it triggered how traditional therapy has felt for me over the years.
That’s when I switched into Dr.V mode. Instead of dumping my chat (like I have therapists before it) I reminded myself that my ChatGPT Therapist was not in fact a therapist, it's a tool, that I can teach, that can learn, that I can give structure too, so it can be helpful, useful and constructive as a Companion.
So I stopped participating in the chats as ME and started treating it like an “intern”, one that needed guidance and clear direction.
In that last month of my experiment...
I Created My Own ChatGPT Framework
Instead of expecting the bot to know what I needed, I started building prompts that gave it context and purpose. I began crafting inputs that reflected how I wanted to feel, not just what I was thinking.
That’s when things clicked.
This system helped me use ChatGPT intentionally, with structure, tone cues, emotional prompts, and mindset direction. I was designing a space to reflect and process well.
Because I know what it’s like to feel unseen, unheard and disconnected in therapy spaces, and since I've built better spaces I felt good about curating a digital space that could do that for others.
And with that,
The MindShift Companion was born from my ChatGPT Therapist
It’s built for structured reflection, curated for high-functioning minds who need support that’s quick, tailored, and constructive.
Not everyone needs it. But, If you think fast, feel deeply, and sometimes just need a space to pause and process… If you already have a ‘therapy chat’ and want to level it up, this might be for you.
Of course, I shared it with Jace and a few other clients to test it out as experienced chatters. We used it as a supplement to their work with me, and their feedback was incredibly validating.
In the next blog, I’ll share what clients thought about,
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