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This mental health chatbot aims to fill the counseling gap at understaffed schools


As school districts struggle to support the mental health of their students, a startup called Sonar Mental Health has built a “wellbeing companion” called

As described in the Wall Street Journal, Sonny is a chatbot that relies on a combination of human staff and AI. The company says the chats are currently being monitored by a team of six people with backgrounds in psychology, social work and crisis-line support. CEO Drew Bavir told the Journal that he makes it clear to students and schools that Sonny isn’t a therapist, and that Sonar staffers will work with schools and parents to find therapists for students when appropriate.

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Photo of understaffed schools

understaffed schools

Photo of counseling gap

counseling gap