The Author
Matthieu Ferry
Clinical psychologist with a rare triple expertise: Master's in Mathematics, Master's in Artificial Intelligence (1996), then Master's in Clinical Psychology (2018). Enriched by 15 years of tech entrepreneurship. A unique position to think about AI in psychotherapy.
Matthieu Ferry
Clinical Psychologist
Toulouse, France / Online
An Unconventional Path
My professional journey has taken me from Artificial Intelligence to clinical psychology, via tech entrepreneurship. This unique path now allows me to approach the question of AI in psychotherapy with a dual perspective: technical and clinical.
"I understand how LLMs work technically and how to clinically analyze their interactions with patients. This unique position allows me to move beyond binary stances—technophilia or technophobia—to offer nuanced reflection."
Education
Master's in Mathematics — University of Strasbourg
Specialization: complex dynamical systems
Master's in Computer Science — University of Strasbourg
Specialization in Artificial Intelligence (neural networks)
Master's in Clinical Psychology — University of Strasbourg
Specialization in CBT
Schema Therapy
Training with Dr. Eckhard Roediger (former ISST president) — CEFTI Bordeaux
Clinical Specializations
Teaching & Communications
Over 1,500 hours of teaching in higher education, in psychology and computer science.
IFTS Congress — Paris
"Using AI in Schema Therapy? Concrete examples and prospective reflection"
CEFTI Study Days — Bordeaux
"Therapeutic songs and aggressor/victim dynamics"
CEFTI Study Days — Bordeaux
"Early Maladaptive Schemas and resilience"
University of Strasbourg
Master's in Psychology — Young's Schema Therapy
Sciences Po Strasbourg
Reflections on the societal impact of information technologies
15 Years of Tech Entrepreneurship
I founded and led two digital companies, created 13 jobs, and supported the digital transformation of numerous organizations. Currently consulting for innovative startups.
Copryce ↗
Consultant — Startup specialized in Design value
Troll d'idées S.A.S.
Co-founder — Software publishing — 8 employees
Deloitte FAST 50 Award (2014)
Heptades SARL
Founder — Web agency — 5 employees
Community Leadership
I lead several communities of professionals and patients, gathering over 3,300 members.
Why this site?
1/8
people worldwide suffer from a mental disorder
WHO, 2022
2.9%
of conversations with Claude are for "emotional" use
Anthropic, 2025
+23%
increase in depressive episodes in France since the pandemic
1 A crisis in access to psychological care
Faced with growing demand, the supply of psychological care remains structurally insufficient. Wait times for appointments can reach several months.
This mismatch between supply and demand creates a space now being filled by new forms of support, including AI-based conversational agents.
2 The emergence of digital "pocket therapists"
Since ChatGPT (2022), an unexpected use has developed: using chatbots as confidants, advisors, even "pocket psychotherapists."
"ChatGPT doesn't judge me"
"The AI is available at 3am when I'm having an anxiety attack"
"I tell it things I don't dare tell my therapist"
— Verbatims collected in clinical sessions
3 Moving beyond polarized positions
The debate on AI in mental health tends to crystallize around entrenched positions. On one side, techno-enthusiasm that minimizes risks. On the other, techno-distrust that flatly rejects the idea that a "machine" could have any use in the realm of intimacy.
These positions obscure clinical reality: patients are using these tools, regardless of what professionals think. The challenge is not to settle an ontological debate, but to empirically study what's happening.