The recently updated EA Mental Health Navigator site provides resources on mental health in effective altruism and AI safety:
Mental health professionals (such as therapists and psychiatrists) recommended by people in these spaces (therapists who are themselves active in EA, or who are familiar with EA or AI safety)
Coaches recommended by people in EA and AI safety, or who aim to serve those populations
It's normal and encouraged to shop around for a therapist. The quality of the fit between the therapist and client is an important predictor of how useful therapy will be.
There are some downsides to seeing a provider or coach who's active in the same spaces you are, so you may want someone who's not personally involved in EA or not in your geographic area.
If you want someone who's familiar with your concerns (for example about existential risk or animal welfare) you can search by providers or coaches who have marked areas like "AI safety" or "animal advocates" as populations they specialize in.
Why have recommendations specific to this space?
It can be useful to get recommendations from people with some similar characteristics. EAs tend to be analytical thinkers, and may benefit from someone who's good at working with that type.
Within mental health, sub-fields evolve. For example, as more people became concerned about climate change, some mental health providers specialized in "climate anxiety" or "climate grief" in order to support people struggling there. There's room for something similar around existential risk or animal welfare.
The recently updated EA Mental Health Navigator site provides resources on mental health in effective altruism and AI safety:
If you're considering trying out mental health services or some kind of coaching, this is one place to start!
We'd love to have more recommendations for providers or coaches you'd recommend to others. You can add a recommendation for a mental health professional or a recommendation for a coach. We currently have roughly 100 recommendations around the world, updated this month.
Finding a good fit:
Why have recommendations specific to this space?