A mental health chatbot is only useful if people trust it enough to use it.
Sakina Chat is a mental health support chatbot for professional employees. It is designed from a study of 351 employees that found benefits alone do not make people use these tools: trust, privacy and credibility matter more.
Useful is not enough.
Many mental health chatbots focus on features. The research shows that is not what makes people use them.
Benefits do not drive use
In the study, perceived benefits did not significantly predict intention to use a chatbot.
Trust gap
Employees worry about privacy and about who might see their conversations.
Credibility gap
People need to believe the advice is sound before they rely on it.
Built on what really drives adoption.
Sakina Chat puts trust, privacy and credibility at the centre of the product.
Your data stays yours
- Clear data controls
- No sharing with employers
- Plain language privacy terms
Sound support
- Reviewed guidance
- Clear about what a chatbot cannot do
- Signposting to human help
Always there
- Simple chat interface
- Easy to start
- Fits the working day
How Sakina Chat works.
A short, private conversation whenever an employee needs it.
- 1
Open privately
Start a chat without sharing personal details.
Privacy - 2
Talk it through
Describe how you feel in your own words.
Chat - 3
Get support
Receive coping guidance and self-care steps.
Guidance - 4
Reach a human
Be pointed to professional help when you need more.
Escalation
What the research found.
A survey of 351 professional employees analysed with structural equation modelling.
Source: Naji et al., Frontiers in Digital Health 7, 1606273 (2025). doi:10.3389/fdgth.2025.1606273
Who Sakina Chat is for.
Organisations that want to support staff wellbeing.
Employers
- A private wellbeing benefit
- Low cost to roll out
- Supports existing programmes
Employees
- Private support any time
- No waiting list
- A first step towards help
HR teams
- Trusted by design
- Clear privacy commitments
- Easy to promote to staff
Where we are today.
Sakina Chat is at the design stage.
Not a therapist
Sakina Chat offers support and guidance, not diagnosis or treatment.
Survey evidence
Our design is based on a cross-sectional survey; longer studies are needed.
Pilots next
We are looking for workplaces to pilot the product.
The team behind Sakina Chat.
Founded in 2025 by the research team behind the mental health chatbot adoption study.
Fajer Danish
Co-author of the Sakina Chat research.
Gehad Mohammed Ahmed Naji
Co-author of the Sakina Chat research.
Ali Ateeq
Co-author of the Sakina Chat research.
Siddig Balal Ibrahim
Co-author of the Sakina Chat research.
Foo Yuan
Co-author of the Sakina Chat research.
Nurul Azzura
Co-author of the Sakina Chat research.
Halimaton Hakimi
Co-author of the Sakina Chat research.
Aziah Binti Abdollah
Co-author of the Sakina Chat research.
Yulita Hanum P Iskandar
Co-author of the Sakina Chat research.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sakina Chat a replacement for a therapist?
No. It offers support and points you to professional help when needed.
Will my employer see my conversations?
No. Privacy is a core design principle.
What research is it based on?
A study of 351 professional employees on what drives the use of mental health chatbots.
What did the study find?
Perceived benefits alone did not predict use; trust, privacy and credibility may matter more.
Is it available now?
It is at the design stage, and we are seeking pilot partners.
Peer-reviewed science behind Sakina Chat.
Read the full study behind the product.
Naji, G. M. A., Yuan, F., Azzura, N., Danish, F., Ateeq, A., Ibrahim, S. B., Hakimi, H., Abdollah, A. B., & Iskandar, Y. H. P. (2025). Factors influencing perceived benefits and behavioral intention to use mental health chatbots among professional employees: An empirical study. Frontiers in Digital Health, 7, 1606273.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2025.1606273