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How Ophie works

Three simple steps to feeling heard

1

Start a conversation

Open the app, click Start Session, and choose voice or text. Ophie is ready whenever you are -- no scheduling, no waiting rooms.

2

Talk through what's on your mind

Share openly. Ophie listens, asks thoughtful questions, and offers evidence-based techniques like CBT reframing and grounding exercises.

3

Get insights and grow

After your session, receive a summary with key themes, reframes, and personalized insights. Track your progress over time.

Built for your wellbeing

Every feature is designed to make your experience feel natural, safe, and genuinely helpful

Voice-First Design

Natural conversation, not chatting with a bot. Speak freely and Ophie responds in real time with a warm, natural voice.

Contextual Memory

Ophie remembers your journey across sessions. Ongoing challenges, coping strategies, and progress carry forward for continuity.

Dynamic Island Tools

Interactive exercises appear when you need them -- breathing techniques, journaling prompts, thought reframes, and more.

Real-Time Transcripts

Every word captured and searchable. Review your sessions anytime and revisit key moments at your own pace.

Safety Built In

Crisis detection and professional resource surfacing. Ophie recognizes when you need more support and connects you to help.

Session Insights

Patterns, themes, and growth tracked over time. See how your sessions connect and where you're making progress.

Frequently asked questions

Everything you might want to know before your first session.

Is Ophie a replacement for a therapist?

No. Ophie is a voice-first AI companion designed to supplement — not replace — professional mental health care. We're built for the in-between moments: late-night spirals, pre-meeting dread, processing a difficult day. For ongoing care, diagnosis, or treatment, please work with a licensed clinician. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 (U.S. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911.

How is Ophie different from ChatGPT or other general-purpose AI?

General-purpose models are trained to be agreeable and versatile, which can be unsafe in mental-health contexts — they may validate harmful requests or be circumvented by 'fictional' framing. Ophie operates within a mental-health-specific system designed with licensed clinicians, includes layered crisis detection, and maintains contextual memory across your sessions so you don't have to re-explain yourself each time. See our approach for details.

How does the voice conversation work?

Ophie uses real-time speech-to-text, a large language model tuned for empathetic conversation, and natural-sounding text-to-speech — all stitched together over WebRTC for low-latency back-and-forth. You can also type at any time. Sessions feel like a phone call, not a chat with a bot.

Does Ophie remember past conversations?

Yes, if you opt in. Memory mode stores transcripts in an encrypted database so Ophie can reference earlier sessions and track patterns over time. You can also use ephemeral mode, where nothing is stored. You're always in control — export, delete, or anonymize your data at any time.

What happens if I'm in crisis during a session?

Ophie has multi-layered crisis detection. If language indicates immediate risk, the conversation surfaces emergency resources — 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), 911 for life-threatening danger, and other specialized hotlines. Ophie does not replace emergency services. See our safety page for the full crisis-response flow.

How is my data protected?

All connections use TLS in transit. Stored transcripts are encrypted at rest. Authentication is handled via Supabase with row-level security so your sessions are visible only to you. We follow GDPR/CCPA practices and offer full export, deletion, and anonymization controls.

What does Ophie cost?

Ophie is currently free during our waitlist phase. Pricing for paid tiers is published on our pricing page. We're committed to keeping a meaningful free tier available.

Who built Ophie?

Ophie was founded by Christopher Kim, Jonathan Choi, Darien Stoyanov, and Saatvik Sandal, with input from licensed clinicians on safety, ethics, and therapeutic frameworks. Learn more on our about page.

Ready to try?

Start your first session in under a minute. No credit card required.

Join the Waitlist