Sorca is an AI therapy companion designed to support your mental health between therapy sessions. It offers voice therapy sessions, CBT-based homework journeys, daily mood tracking, and tools like PHQ-9 and GAD-7 outcome measures — all supervised by your therapist through a secure dashboard.

How does Sorca help therapists?

Sorca provides therapists with a clinical dashboard showing client mood trends, homework completion (75% vs 20-30% with traditional worksheets), pattern alerts, PHQ-9/GAD-7 outcome measures, and session preparation briefs. It supports clients in the 167 hours between weekly sessions.

Is Sorca a replacement for therapy?

No. Sorca is not therapy and does not diagnose, treat, or provide clinical advice. It is a between-session support tool that complements professional therapy by helping clients track mood, complete homework, and practise coping skills.

Is Sorca GDPR compliant?

Yes. Sorca is fully GDPR compliant. All data sharing requires explicit opt-in consent, patients control what is shared with therapists, and consent is revocable at any time. Data can be exported or deleted on request.

Can I use Sorca while on an NHS waiting list?

Yes. Sorca provides mental health support while you wait for NHS therapy. You can use mood tracking, grounding exercises, and guided reflection sessions for free. When your NHS therapy begins, Sorca integrates as a between-session companion.

What therapy approaches does Sorca use?

Sorca supports CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), person-centred therapy, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic approaches, and IFS (Internal Family Systems). Your therapist can configure which approaches are used.

AI Therapy Companions: How They Work, When They Help, and What to Look For in 2026

What Is an AI Therapy Companion?

An AI therapy companion is a digital tool designed to support your mental health between therapy sessions — not replace your therapist. Think of it as a bridge across the 167 hours between weekly appointments.

Unlike general-purpose chatbots, therapy companions are built with clinical frameworks in mind: CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), motivational interviewing, and other evidence-based approaches.

They typically offer:

Mood tracking — Daily check-ins that build a picture over time
Homework support — Interactive exercises instead of static worksheets
Voice sessions — Talk through thoughts when typing feels too slow
Therapist integration — Your therapist sees your progress (with consent)
Crisis safety — Automatic escalation to helplines when risk is detected

What the Research Says

The evidence for AI-assisted therapy support is growing rapidly:

Homework Completion

Traditional therapy worksheets have a completion rate of 20-30%. AI-assisted conversational homework achieves 75% completion — a 3x improvement.

Between-Session Engagement

Clients using AI companions show 3x more engagement between sessions. This means more reflection, more practice, and faster progress.

Session Preparedness

Therapists report clients arrive better prepared — with clearer insights, tracked moods, and specific topics to explore. Sessions go deeper, faster.

NHS Waiting List Support

In the UK, the average NHS therapy waiting time is 18 weeks. AI companions provide structured support during this gap — mood tracking, grounding exercises, and psychoeducation — so people aren't left with nothing.

How AI Therapy Companions Actually Work

1. Mood Monitoring

Most companions ask you to rate your mood daily (usually 1-10) and optionally log activities, sleep, and notes. Over time, this creates a mood map that reveals patterns you wouldn't spot otherwise.

Your therapist (with your consent) can see these trends and adjust treatment accordingly. "I notice your mood dips every Wednesday — what happens on Wednesdays?" becomes a powerful session opener.

2. Conversational Homework

Instead of a blank worksheet, the companion guides you through a 7-day journey:

Day 1-2: Anchor the key insight from your session before it fades
Day 3-5: Explore how the insight applies in your daily life
Day 6-7: Prepare for your next session with pre-session reflection

3. Voice Therapy Sessions

Sometimes you need to talk, not type. Modern AI companions offer real-time voice sessions where you can speak naturally and receive reflective, therapeutic responses. This is especially valuable:

Late at night when typing feels too effortful
During emotional moments when you need to process quickly
For people who think better out loud
When you want something closer to a real therapy conversation

4. Outcome Tracking (PHQ-9, GAD-7)

Clinical outcome measures like PHQ-9 (depression) and GAD-7 (anxiety) are the gold standard for tracking therapy progress. AI companions can administer these at regular intervals and show your therapist the trajectory.

What to Look For When Choosing an AI Therapy Companion

Not all AI therapy tools are equal. Here's a checklist:

Safety & Ethics

Crisis detection — Does it recognise risk language and escalate to helplines?
Not a replacement disclaimer — Does it clearly state it's not therapy?
Clinical supervision — Can a therapist oversee the AI's interactions?
Content safety filters — Does it prevent harmful or inappropriate responses?

Privacy & Data

GDPR compliance — Essential for UK/EU users
Explicit consent — Do you control what your therapist can see?
Data portability — Can you export your data?
Right to deletion — Can you delete everything?

Clinical Quality

Evidence-based approaches — CBT, ACT, motivational interviewing, not just generic chatting
Outcome measures — PHQ-9, GAD-7, or equivalent validated instruments
Therapist integration — Does it connect to your therapist's workflow?
Personalisation — Does it adapt to your specific needs over time?

Usability

Voice support — Can you talk, not just type?
Offline access — Does it work without internet for basic features?
Mobile-friendly — Can you install it as an app?
Low friction — Is daily check-in quick (under 30 seconds)?

When AI Therapy Companions Help Most

Based on clinical feedback, AI companions are most valuable in these situations:

1. NHS Waiting Lists

The average 18-week wait means people are left unsupported at their most vulnerable. A companion provides structured support — not therapy, but better than nothing.

2. Between Weekly Sessions

The 167-hour gap between sessions is where insights fade and old patterns return. A companion keeps the therapeutic thread alive.

3. Homework Completion

When your therapist assigns a thought record or behavioural experiment, a companion turns it into an interactive conversation instead of a blank form.

4. Crisis Moments

At 2am when anxiety peaks, a companion provides grounding exercises, breathing techniques, and (when needed) direct links to crisis services like Samaritans (116 123) or SHOUT (text 85258).

5. Therapy Preparation

Before each session, a companion can help you prepare: "What do you most want to discuss today?" This makes sessions more productive.

The Therapist's Perspective

We regularly hear from NHS psychotherapists and private practitioners about how AI companions change their practice:

"My clients arrive already knowing what they want to work on. We waste less time warming up and go deeper, faster."

"The mood tracking data is invaluable. I can see patterns my clients don't even notice — like their anxiety always spikes on Sundays."

"Homework completion went from maybe 1 in 4 clients to nearly all of them. That alone is transformative."

What AI Therapy Companions Cannot Do

It's equally important to be clear about limitations:

They cannot diagnose mental health conditions
They cannot prescribe medication or treatment plans
They cannot replace a trained therapist's clinical judgment
They cannot handle complex trauma without professional oversight
They are not appropriate as the sole intervention for severe mental illness

AI companions are a support tool. They extend therapy, they don't replace it.

How Sorca Fits In

Sorca was built specifically as a between-session therapy companion. Here's what sets it apart:

Voice-first — Real-time voice sessions powered by ElevenLabs AI, so you can talk naturally
7 therapy modalities — CBT, ACT, IFS, person-centred, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic, Socratic dialogue
Therapist dashboard — Your therapist sees mood trends, homework progress, and risk flags (with your consent)
NHS-aligned — UK crisis contacts built in, GDPR compliant, IAPT-compatible outcome measures
PWA installable — Works offline for mood tracking and grounding exercises

If you're currently in therapy, on a waiting list, or supporting your mental health independently, Sorca provides the structured, evidence-based support to help you make progress every day — not just one hour a week.

Sorca is free to start. No credit card required. Visit sorca.life to begin.