People dealing with emotional problems are often uncomfortable opening up to a therapist or psychologist, and exposing their deepest darkest secrets. But what if the psychologist was actually a robot? Two Dutch psychologists have developed the world’s first robot psychologist (no, really!).
The cyber-shrink, also known as MindMentor (www.mindmentor.com), is the brainchild of clinical psychologists Jaap Hollander and Jeffrey Winjberg, both of whom are researchers at the Institute for Eclectic Psychology in the Netherlands.
The programmable MindMentor operates by asking a series of clever questions, designed to utilize unconscious strengths and resources the client already possesses. Both of the program’s designers are specialists in neurolinguistic programming, or NLP, and the MindMentor focuses on shifting the perspectives of clients in relation to their problems — in effect, changing how they view a situation until it is no longer an insurmountable problem.
It is difficult to explain exactly how MindMentor works, as the process takes up to an hour or more and the MindMentor software continually consults with a huge database of potential problems and solutions. But cleverly, the program does not simply regurgitate known emotional disturbances and potential solutions, but actually guides the user through a series of steps to discover their own hidden internal strengths and resources, resulting in them finding their own satisfactory solutions, and coming away from the experience feeling empowered.
That may sound like a pretty bold claim for a cyber-therapist, but test studies including 1600 clients from around the world have showed that MindMentor is an effective way for many people to work through their emotional issues. Of the 1600 clients tested, 47% of those reported that their problem had been solved in only a single session (most practicing psychologists would be thrilled with a 47% success rate on the first session).
According to its creators, MindMentor helps individuals discover and take advantage of unconscious knowledge they already possess. But it doesn’t work alone: MindMentor has several cyber-colleagues to help assess a client’s situation, including RoboRorshach, which provides projective testing, and the Provobot, which helps uncover hidden strengths through the use of provocative humor.
While the thought of discussing emotional problems with a team of robot specialists might seem less threatening than actually baring your soul to another real human being, the important question is, can a computer algorithm be trusted to counsel individuals on emotional and psychological problems and offer advice?
The jury is still out on that one, but many experts agree that robo-counseling is likely the wave of the future, and the technology can provide emotional support and guidance to many individuals who would otherwise not be able to afford a series of expensive office visits with a real “flesh and blood” psychologist.
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Hmm, this has been tried before and over time it may be better than nothing, but there is no substitute for training, experience and empathy. My wife Dr. Allison Conner runs a referral network of New York Psychologists. they all use CBT which I guess some people might consider similar to NLP.
Comment by Kevin Lee — April 1, 2008 @ 4:06 pm