Anthony Taglianetti
221 lines
7.0 KiB
Markdown
221 lines
7.0 KiB
Markdown
# Getting Started
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This guide walks you through setting up your AI therapist from scratch. No technical experience needed.
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---
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## Step 1: Get Claude Code
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Claude Code is what lets your AI therapist read your profile, remember past sessions, and save notes. You need it before you can set up your therapist.
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### Option A: Claude Pro ($20/month, simplest)
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1. Go to [claude.ai](https://claude.ai) and sign up for Claude Pro
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2. Download Claude Code from [claude.ai/code](https://claude.ai/code)
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3. Run the installer
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4. Open **Terminal** (Mac) or **PowerShell** (Windows)
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5. Type `claude` and press Enter
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6. Sign in with your Claude account when prompted
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Done! Move to Step 2.
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### Option B: Pay-per-use (no subscription)
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1. Go to [console.anthropic.com](https://console.anthropic.com)
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2. Create an account and add a payment method
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3. Click **API Keys** → **Create new key**
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4. Copy the key (it starts with `sk-ant-`)
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5. Download Claude Code from [claude.ai/code](https://claude.ai/code)
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6. Run the installer
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7. Open **Terminal** (Mac) or **PowerShell** (Windows)
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8. Type `claude` and paste your API key when prompted
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Typical cost: $5-20/month depending on how often you chat.
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---
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## Step 2: Download Inner Dialogue
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Open Terminal (Mac) or PowerShell (Windows) and run these commands:
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```
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git clone https://github.com/ataglianetti/inner-dialogue.git
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cd inner-dialogue
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```
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**Don't have git?** Go to the [GitHub page](https://github.com/ataglianetti/inner-dialogue), click the green "Code" button, choose "Download ZIP", and extract it somewhere you'll remember.
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---
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## Step 3: Run Setup
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From the inner-dialogue folder, type:
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```
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claude
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```
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Your therapist is waiting. Say hello when you're ready.
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Claude will guide you through setup by asking a few questions:
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1. **Therapist name** — What to call your AI therapist (e.g., Sage, Willow, Quinn)
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2. **Communication style** — Warm 4o-style or direct & challenging (more available with Expansion Pack)
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3. **Therapeutic approaches** — CBT by default (Expansion Pack adds ACT, DBT Skills, and more)
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4. **Storage location** — Where to save your session files
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5. **Import history** (optional) — Bring in notes from ChatGPT or other tools
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### Importing Existing Notes
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If you've been using ChatGPT for therapy-like conversations, you can import that history:
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1. In ChatGPT: Go to Settings → Data Controls → Export
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2. You'll get a ZIP file
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3. During setup, tell Claude you want to import and provide the file path
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Your AI therapist will read these notes to understand your background.
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---
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## Step 4: Start a Session
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At the end of setup, Claude will ask if you want to start your first session. Say yes!
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### Future Sessions
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**Easiest way:** Double-click the launcher script in your therapy folder:
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- Mac/Linux: `start-session.command`
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- Windows: `start-session.bat`
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Tip: Drag this to your Dock (Mac) or taskbar (Windows) for one-click access.
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**Or use Terminal:**
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```
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cd ~/Sage && claude
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```
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(Replace `Sage` with your therapist's name/folder)
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### During a Session
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Just talk naturally. Say hello, share what's on your mind. Your AI therapist will:
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- Welcome you or pick up where you left off
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- Remember everything from previous sessions
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- Save notes when you're done
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To end a session, say goodbye or just close the window.
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---
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## Viewing Your Notes
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Your sessions are saved as regular text files. You can open them with any text editor (TextEdit, Notepad, etc.).
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For a nicer reading experience, try [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md) (free):
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1. Download Obsidian
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2. Open your therapy folder as a "vault"
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3. Browse sessions, search across notes, see connections between topics
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---
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## Troubleshooting
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**"command not found: claude"**
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Make sure you installed Claude Code and restarted your terminal.
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**Claude doesn't seem like a therapist**
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Make sure you're in your therapy folder before running `claude`. Check that `CLAUDE.md` exists in that folder.
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**Setup didn't start automatically**
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Make sure you're in the `inner-dialogue` folder (not your therapy folder) when first running `claude`.
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---
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## Updating Your Therapist
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Inner Dialogue periodically receives updates—improved safety protocols, refined therapeutic techniques, bug fixes. Here's how to get them:
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### Check for Updates
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During any session, just say: **"update my therapist"** or **"check for updates"**
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Your therapist will:
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- Fetch the latest versions from GitHub
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- Compare your installed versions with the latest
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- Show what's changed
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- Apply updates you approve
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No need to keep the Inner Dialogue repo after setup—your therapist folder is self-contained and updates directly from GitHub.
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### What Gets Updated
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| Component | Updated? | Notes |
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|-----------|----------|-------|
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| Safety protocols | Yes (recommended) | Crisis resources, safety guidelines |
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| Modalities | Yes | Therapeutic technique refinements |
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| Session structures | Yes | Session flow improvements |
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| Your profile.md | Never | Your personal data is untouched |
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| Your sessions/ | Never | Your session history is untouched |
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| Your CLAUDE.md | Never | Your therapist's persona stays the same |
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### Safety Protocol Updates
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**Always accept safety protocol updates.** These contain crisis resources and guidelines that should never be stale. Claude will specifically recommend these updates.
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---
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## Migrating from an Older Version
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If you set up your therapist before version 1.0.0 (the split-file architecture), you can migrate to the new format:
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1. Open the inner-dialogue repo in Claude Code
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2. Say: **"migrate my existing therapist"**
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3. Claude will:
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- Read your existing CLAUDE.md to understand your setup
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- Create the new `.therapy/` folder structure
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- Preserve all your sessions and profile data
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Benefits of migrating:
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- Smaller CLAUDE.md = faster session startup
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- Independent component updates
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- Better organized files
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---
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## Customizing After Setup
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You can change your therapist's configuration anytime—just ask during a session. Your therapist knows where to find the source files.
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### Switch Communication Style
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Say: **"switch persona"**
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Choose from:
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- Warm 4o-Style
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- Direct & Challenging
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With the [Expansion Pack](#expansion-pack): Warm & Supportive, Coach, Grounded & Real
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This changes how your therapist communicates without affecting their memory of you.
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### Add or Remove Therapeutic Approaches
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Say: **"add modality"** or **"remove modality"**
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Core includes CBT. With the [Expansion Pack](#expansion-pack), you can add ACT, DBT Skills, Somatic Experiencing, Lifespan Integration, and Psychodynamic.
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### Change Session Structure
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Say: **"change session structure"**
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Switch between Structured, Moderate, or Freeform session styles.
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### Self-Contained After Setup
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After setup completes, your therapist folder is fully self-contained. You can safely delete the inner-dialogue repo if you want—all customization options are stored in your therapist's `.therapy/library/` folder, and updates are fetched directly from GitHub.
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---
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## More Questions?
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See the [FAQ in the README](../README.md#faq) for common questions about cost, privacy, and customization.
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