Should You See a Marriage Therapist or Consult an AI Mentor for Relationship Problems?

There are pros and cons to booking an appointment with an actual marriage therapist, counselor, or consulting an AI mentor when it comes to improving your mental health and relationships.

Pro’s and Con’s of Therapy, Counseling or AI Mentor

A great human therapist can bring unique wisdom and lived experiences that are no match for AI.

AI, however, can be available anytime you’re ready, often at a fraction of the cost of a therapist or counselor. No more scheduling appointments, co-pays, travel time, or even fixing yourself up for a Zoom session.

Lived Experience vs. a Billion Bytes of Data

A great marriage therapist has years, perhaps even decades of training and continuing education behind them. For some, that expertise is an invaluable aspect of what a therapist offers. AI may be developed from billions of bytes of data, but there’s no artificial intelligence that has the actual education and lived experience of a human being.

For some, a big part of the value of seeing a therapist or counselor has nothing to do with who you see, but the decision you make to take on your mental and emotional health, relationships, or self-esteem.

In Action versus Inaction

PAIRS (Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills) creator Dr. Lori Heyman Gordon, who counseled thousands of singles and couples as one of the nation’s preeminent marriage and family therapists before focusing her professional efforts on psycho-education, said more than half the value participants received was a result of the decision to actually be in action; to do something rather than accept the status quo.

Freedom to Choose

Therapists tend to sell their time in blocks, although online options are increasingly available by the minute. Regardless, those costs can add up. AI, on the other hand, is likely more centered around what you want to do, for how long, when, and where. In short, AI gives you a lot more freedom to choose.

But how do the results of an actual marriage therapist, counselor, and AI compare?

MyPAIRSCoach.com

It will be years before we know if an AI mentoring tools like Yodi by MyPAIRSCoach comes anywhere close to providing the value of a human marriage therapist or counselor. Researchers haven’t begun to compare the two.

Value of Skills Training

But many marriage therapists and counselors, particularly those who have seen hundreds, even thousands, of singles and couples, will say it’s worthwhile learning skills in addition to or even before beginning marriage therapy.

“Skills training helps many people learn to be their own therapists,” Dr. Gordon said. In fact, PAIRS skills such as those offered through MyPAIRSCoach.com were originally developed to help marriage therapists and counselors improve the impact of therapy and counseling.

Is a marriage therapist, counselor or AI mentor the right choice for you?

Many attest to the impact of finding a great therapist and the lifelong contribution therapy made to their lives. If you’re not ready for therapy or haven’t found a great therapist for you and your relationship, it won’t hurt you or your wallet to check out one of the AI mentors that are becoming increasingly available.

Learn more at MyPAIRSCoach.com or find a therapist at PsychologyToday.com.

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