Grow Therapy has introduced an AI-powered coaching feature designed to extend mental health support beyond traditional therapy sessions while ensuring that licensed clinicians remain central to care delivery. The tool is embedded directly into its app and provides a chat-based experience intended to help clients reflect on emotions, practise therapeutic techniques, and stay engaged with their care plans between appointments.
The company positions the AI coach as a structured, supportive layer that complements—not replaces—human therapy. Unlike general-purpose chatbots, it is purpose-built for mental health use and operates under clinician-defined boundaries and oversight. The system draws on established therapeutic frameworks including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and behavioural activation techniques, helping users apply coping strategies in real-world contexts, organise thoughts before sessions, and reinforce progress between visits.
A key focus of the product is bridging the “between-session gap,” which can span hundreds of hours where patients typically have no direct clinician contact. The AI coach supports users with tasks such as emotional processing, relationship challenges, skill practice and session preparation, while also allowing them to flag topics they want to discuss with their therapist. Importantly, it is not designed to diagnose or treat conditions, but to act as an optional adjunct that enhances continuity of care.
Safety and clinical oversight are central to the design. Grow has implemented multiple independent safety layers, automated quality scoring of conversations and continuous review by licensed clinicians. The system can pause conversations, surface crisis resources when needed, and alert providers if potential risk is detected, ensuring that clinicians can apply their judgement and intervene when appropriate.
Since phased rollout began, the tool has seen strong adoption, with hundreds of thousands of messages exchanged and use by a significant share of active providers’ clients. Early usage patterns suggest people are most often using it for relationship issues, coping skill practice, emotional articulation, and organising thoughts before therapy sessions. Grow has also established an external advisory panel of experts in clinical psychology, AI, ethics and mental health research to help guide ongoing development and ensure responsible deployment.
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