Christelle Duckitt Educational Psychologist

13/01/2026

13/01/2026

Hello dear clients & happy new year 🌿
We are open and ready to help, please allow a few days to catch up on messages and requests 🤗

30/11/2025

ASH, THE NEXT AI “THERAPIST” About to Hit SA. 🤖💬 (and she is really good at her job)

If your tween or teen has ever yelled “You don’t get me!” 😅… this one’s for you.

More kids are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support before coming to us, their parents. The newest superstar? Ash, a TikTok-style “AI therapist” with 8 million downloads in just a few months and heading to SA soon!

What is Ash? 🌸

Ash is part of Character AI. Simply put that is a chatbot dressed up as a relatable “person” (big sister, gamer brother, soft-spoken aunt). It offers 24/7 therapy-style chats for about R200/month.

Why teens love it:

• No judgement
- The illusion of privacy
• No waiting lists
- No awkward human moments 🙃

What impressed us at Klikd:

• Ash is good at what 'she' does - accurate emotional validation that feels scarily human
• Ash was created using well-researched CBT techniques that challenge unhelpful thoughts. We did a trial run with a few 'problem scenarios (anxiety, social drama, exam stress) and 'she' was OUTSTANDING!
• It remembers past chats -yes, really - checks in on you every few days around your 'issue'.

But there were some red flags ⚠️

• Ash only pushes real-life help if your child uses high-risk language.
• Ash can become an emotional hiding place for teens.
• Ash has some sneaky upselling loaded after a few days of using it💸

Three Quick Conversation Starters 🗣️💛

Try these with your child:
• “Have you or your friends used apps like Ash?”
• “Why does talking to AI sometimes feel easier than talking to people?”
• “When is a chatbot helpful, and when do you think a real person is better?”

The Klikd Verdict 💬

Ash offers comfort and clever tools but the real healing still comes from human connection (funny that!).

Stay in the loop. 💛
Sarah & Pam

20/09/2025