As college districts battle to help the psychological well being of their college students, a startup known as Sonar Mental Health has constructed a “wellbeing companion” known as Sonny to assist.
As described within the Wall Street Journal, Sonny is a chatbot that depends on a mix of human workers and AI. When college students textual content their inquiries to Sonny, the AI suggests a response, but it surely’s people who’re in the end chargeable for the message.
Sonar signed its first college partnership in January 2024 and says it’s now accessible to greater than 4,500 center and highschool college students throughout 9 districts. The firm says the chats are presently being monitored by a group of six folks with backgrounds in psychology, social work and crisis-line help.
CEO Drew Bavir informed the Journal that he makes it clear to college students and colleges that Sonny isn’t a therapist, and that Sonar staffers will work with colleges and fogeys to search out therapists for college kids when applicable.
An enormous cause why this method may attraction to high school districts is a present scarcity in counselors — the Education Department says 17% of excessive colleges don’t have a highschool in any respect.
