Empathetic AI for early mental health support
Helping young people long before a crisis hits
Millions of adolescents experience emotional distress, but most do not receive any meaningful help until a crisis point is reached.
Cami, our clinically informed AI companion, delivers psychological first aid - real-time, early emotional support designed by psychologists, not technologists.
Built on empathy, ethics, and evidence, Cami listens and responds before emotions escalate into emergencies.
Prevention, not replication.
Support, not substitutes.
This is the future of responsible mental health AI.
The anxious generation
Young people today face unprecedented pressures - unhealthy social media comparisons, academic stress, low self-esteem, loneliness, and uncertainty about the future.
The result is a global epidemic of anxiety, self-harm, and depression.
Despite greater awareness, access to care remains limited. Waiting lists stretch for months, and many never reach a therapist at all.
By the time help arrives, it’s often too late.
We exist to change that.
Prevention, not treatment
Most mental health apps attempt to replicate psychotherapy, using scripted exchanges or AI personas to mimic human therapists.
Cami is different.
We use the principles of psychological first aid (PFA) to support adolescents at the first signs of distress, helping them understand, regulate, and reframe their emotions before those emotions spiral into crisis.
Every interaction is guided by clinical psychology and educational frameworks, not wellness slogans.
Cami’s role is empathetic support in the moments that shape behaviour and decision-making - the critical space before intervention becomes treatment.
Why psychological first aid works
Psychological first aid focuses on early recognition, emotional regulation, and practical guidance.
Over 20 years and more than 30,000 hours of adolescent therapy, Professor Robert Batt (MSt, MSc, MBACP, NCAC) observed how a young person’s decisions, often made in moments of panic, shame, or fear, can change the trajectory of their wellbeing.
His research at the University of Cambridge confirmed what years of delivering therapy had taught him: empathetic, early intervention changes outcomes.
This insight became Cami - an always-available digital companion that helps adolescents pause, reflect, and choose differently when emotions run high.
How Cami works
Cami blends clinical empathy with advanced conversational AI.
Every exchange is grounded in trust, emotional intelligence, and validated practice.
Real-time support: always on, always listening
Empathetic intelligence: recognises emotional distress and responds with care
Psychology first: built and reviewed by clinicians, not engineers
Ethical and private: compliant with BACP standards, GDPR, and NHS digital guidelines
Cami doesn’t replace therapy - it bridges the gap between distress and support, keeping young people safe and emotionally connected.
What makes us different
Most mental health apps try to replicate therapy.
We’ve learned that empathy, and not imitation, changes lives.
Cami is built from psychology outward, not from code inward. It draws on the human qualities that matter most in early intervention:
empathy, safety, and understanding.
We don’t believe AI should pretend to be a therapist.
Instead, Cami provides empathetic psychological first aid, helping young people feel seen and supported long before they reach a point of crisis.
Psychologists first, technologists second
Human-centred empathy enhanced by AI
Ethical, clinically validated, and grounded in compassion
Ethics and Accreditation
Cambridge Mind Technologies is an Organisational Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and aligns with the BACP Ethical Framework.
Our systems are built for clinical safety, data protection, and human oversight, and we are progressing toward medical certification as a regulated digital mental health device.
Responsible AI isn’t an aspiration for us - it’s our foundation.
Impact and scale
Cami has already been trialled in schools and mental health clinics, where it supports adolescents in-the-moment and between therapy sessions.
Early results show improved emotional regulation and decreased escalation to crisis support.
We are now expanding our reach to tens of thousands of pupils and patients across the UK.
Our next step, with support from Republic Europe investors, is to scale responsibly, strengthen our evidence base, and deliver empathetic early intervention globally.
Join our mission
We’re building technology that listens safely, ethically, and empathetically, so no young person faces emotional distress alone.
Together, we can help young people navigate their emotions long before they reach crisis.
Help us to bring responsible AI to the forefront of adolescent mental health care.
Contact us for partnership opportunities