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Article History

Received: 5 September 2025

Accepted: 23 March 2026

First Online: 25 May 2026

Declarations

:

: Not applicable.

: Our study has been fully endorsed by the ethics boards of all involved institutions. The research design and implementation place paramount importance on safeguarding participants’ rights and welfare.We obtained and used the Sahar conversation dataset, the SRF psychological lexicon and the Reddit dataset in strict accordance with IRB protocols. Sahar’s service operates with a firm commitment to user anonymity, ensuring that those seeking help can do so without fear of personal identification.All personnel with data access, including researchers and assistants, underwent comprehensive vetting and signed confidentiality agreements. This process ensures a high level of data protection. Moreover, all data analysis and processing occurred on-site and offline, without utilizing any cloud-based services or external platforms, thus providing an extra layer of data security.Both help-seekers and counselors are made aware that anonymized data may be used for research aimed at enhancing support services. This transparency reflects the organization’s dedication to ethical research practices.The user study component received separate IRB approval, with all expert counselor participants providing informed consent prior to participation. Participants were explicitly informed of their right to decline answering any question or to discontinue their participation at any point during the study without penalty. This voluntary participation framework ensured that counselors could engage with the research on their own terms while maintaining their professional autonomy.