Hope chatbot providing more than “hope” to Catholic Charities’ clients

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City released statistics on an AI-based texting platform that provides immediate access to mental health support through a chatbot named “Hope.”

“Accessibility to mental health care is a major challenge in this country, and we saw throughout the pandemic that depression and anxiety were at an all-time high. We had high hopes for the chatbot technology to mitigate some of the stresses for our clients, and the feedback from our clients has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Amy Shipman, director of counseling at Catholic Charities.

Hope was developed by clinical psychologists to extend mental health assistance to those in need. It is a free chat service providing encouragement and strategies on how to manage everyday stress and anxiety. The technology uses self-learning artificial intelligence. The more a person interacts with Hope, the more she can help.

Catholic Charities USA joined with X2AI in 2021 to provide this preventative and proactive technology to five pilot agencies to test the service. The first-of-its-kind program was first made available to Catholic Charities in Oklahoma City in May 2021. 

Hope chatbot has proven effective since its inception. Since the launch of the program, 15,932 messages were exchanged between Hope and users. 93 percent of users have rated Hope as “helpful.” All correspondence is confidential and anonymous. 

“We have been able reach more people within the diocese, especially our rural communities. Since Hope is available in both English and Spanish 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the convenience gives you more of an on-demand service,” Shipman said.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. One in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. Along with Hope chatbot services, Catholic Charities also offers outpatient counseling for families, children and individuals. 

To learn more, call (405) 523-3000 or visit ccaokc.org online.