FAQ
The things people ask before they begin.
Short answers. Where a longer one exists, we link to it.
What it is
Is Senda therapy?
No. Senda is a self-reflection tool: no diagnosis, no treatment, no crisis support, and never a substitute for a professional. It is for adults, eighteen and over. If you are in crisis, reach for someone you trust, your doctor, or your local helpline (findahelpline.com).
Can I only talk to Senda about really heavy or serious things?
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. Senda is not therapy, so you don’t wait until something is bad enough to deserve a session. A small moment with a charge is plenty: the message you hesitated to send, the comment that stung more than it should have, the thing you keep rehearsing in the shower. Senda works with how you are holding it, not with how big it is, and a small moment is often easier to see clearly than a big one. If nothing comes to mind, “New chat. Guide me.” in the app will find one with you in three steps.
What is it for, then?
Growing up, as an adult. Senda is a weekly practice for adult development, closer to meditation or the gym than to therapy: the conversation itself is the practice. Once a week you bring one real challenge, an argument you keep replaying, a doubt that keeps visiting, a decision you keep circling. Senda asks the questions that let you step back and see it from somewhere wider, and helps you design one small thing to try in your life. That stepping back is what grows you, and it adds up. It does not give advice. Why that is.
Why not just use ChatGPT?
For many things you should. For this kind of work, general AI has a problem: it agrees with you, and you cannot feel it happening. Senda is built the other way round, on a method that forbids advice and forbids telling you how you feel. People usually notice within a few turns. Here is one whole conversation, unedited.
Will it tell me what stage I am at?
No, and it never will. Senda adapts its questions to where you are and keeps the map to itself. You do not need to know any of the psychology behind it; if you are curious, the science page explains it.
Can I use it alongside a coach or a therapist?
Yes, and many early members do. Senda works well between sessions, somewhere to take the thing while it is still warm. What you bring back to your coach or therapist, if anything, is entirely your choice.
Your words
What happens to what I write?
It is stored encrypted in your Senda record, on servers in Germany, so it is there on any device you sign in on. Only you and Senda can read it, it is never used to train AI, and you can delete any conversation, or everything, whenever you like. You can download any conversation for yourself at any time. The full privacy note.
Which AI is it, and does it learn from me?
Your words reach the AI that composes each reply, a version of Claude by Anthropic, working inside Senda's method. They are never used to train it, and Senda is built never to use your name.
Can the founder read my conversations?
No. The one exception is a finished conversation you choose to send using the button under the message box. Those help improve Senda, and it is always your choice, conversation by conversation.
Using it
How often should I use it?
Once a week. Like a gym membership, it is the returning that does it: thirty minutes with whatever has hold of you that week is enough. Senda can hold the time for you and remind you. You can also come whenever something has a grip on you; the weekly rhythm is what turns insight into development.
Which languages does it speak?
The app is in English, Spanish, German and Finnish, and Senda answers in whatever language you write to it. You can dictate instead of typing. Spelling and grammar do not matter; write however it comes.
What is a practice?
Some conversations end with something to try in your life: a small, safe experiment you design, tied to the moment you brought. Senda keeps your practices in one place and asks what the test taught you, rather than whether you succeeded.
What does it cost, and how do I get in?
Seven days free, then €12 a month or €120 a year, cancel any time. The first 50 members are founding members and keep that price for as long as their membership stays continuous. Everything about the price, and the button to start.
Can my organisation or practice use Senda?
Yes, within limits we hold to firmly: no monitoring, no covert use, nothing built to keep people in an app. How partnerships work.
Who built this?
Senda is built by Andrés Fossas and Folkuslab Oy, a small company in Finland. Andrés trained under Robert Kegan at Harvard. More about Andrés. Anything not answered here: hello@walkwithsenda.com reaches the person who built it.