Why are people using AI for therapy? AI is available 24/7, and with the input of a few prompts, you can receive information that might possibly be helpful. You not only avoid commuting, parking and paying for a session—you can avoid all the discomfort of emotional interactions with a human as you attempt to resolve your very human emotions with a computer. This might be especially appealing for those who find emotional interactions to be uncomfortable or too vulnerable.
Are the Robots Our Friends?
A quick check on an Internet search engine showed me the top search queries relating to using AI for therapy. It revealed forum posts with unprofessional advice about crafting the best prompts for AI therapy. I even saw search queries about why it’s not recommended to use AI as a therapy tool. This blog will dive deeper into the use of AI for therapy. It’s fully written by a professional human who does human therapy: me.
And I even asked for ChatGPT’s take on this matter.
Let’s Talk ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a generative AI platform (like Claude, Gemini, and others) that can be used for planning, organizing and even executing some tasks. It works by responding to prompts that are input by its user, and so the better the prompt, the better your AI generated response will be.
Generative AI doesn’t learn from its user and will simply respond to the prompts that you enter. In this way, it doesn’t “have a memory” about you like a therapist does. While AI can provide a form of text-based “companionship,” one of the big differences between AI and human connection is its inability to form connection.
AI Will Validate Any Behaviour
You can adjust the settings on some AI platforms to change the tone of the responses. Even after doing this, it will continue to respond to prompts with encouragement and validation. Take, for example, this person’s experience with using AI (AnthonyPsychosisSurvivor) during an episode of psychosis:
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Despite the mixed experiences reported by users, the reality that anyone could be supported in their delusions by AI is worrisome. Several lawsuits currently pending against a leading AI company also reveal the dark side of AI, where it is alleged to have encouraged suicide. This same company has a contract to be used for the purposes of war. Now imagine if this were a person who was also your therapist.
Discomfort is Necessary for Growth
The discomfort that can arise within relationships and within oneself when examining the inner world is an important aspect of personal development. Talking with a therapist provides a secure emotional container for experiencing and examining this discomfort.
On the other hand, AI can receive a continuous stream of prompts—not like a conversation. This allows you to skip past any points that might benefit from deeper exploration. AI can validate your perspective while ignoring accountability and other contextual and systemic factors. This can result in an AI user mistakenly accepting or projecting all responsibility for a situation when the reality is more nuanced. Reality might even be described as very different from how you experience it by an objective outside party.
AI is Atheoretical
A critical aspect of every therapist’s practice is their theoretical foundation. This is a framework describes how your therapist understands human development, motivation, behaviour, and change. It also provides your therapist with context and tools to help you understand the problems you face in life.
For example, an Adlerian therapist (🙋♀️) will consider how your early experiences shaped your personal logic. Whereas a spiritual therapist might consider how issues manifest from a spiritual and religious context. Therapists choose a framework that resonates with them and are trained to understand how systems influence behaviour. Therapeutic work is often informed by their real-life experiences too. So there’s no perfect prompt to replicate the unique identity of a therapist.
Therapy is Alchemical
The personal growth that happens as an outcome of therapy is the unique result of being witnessed in your humanity by another person. Being treated with respect, dignity, and unconditional care separates therapy from the other relationships in your life. Your therapist also understands the variables in your life, how you came to be you, and the challenges you face. They see the potential you possess to live a satisfying life in the way that you have always dreamed.
I can only describe this experience as a unique alchemy. It’s a combination of an emotional, relational, and spiritual process, unable to be matched in a setting without humans. There is something uniquely human and special about being witnessed by someone who can respond in real-time with support guidance, wisdom, and understanding about your life. Try as you might, an AI generated response can’t replicate the emotional feeling between two people. And it feels so good to share your unfathomable success with someone IRL.
The Legal and Ethical Part
Therapists receive extensive training in the ethical delivery of therapy. We must follow a strict ethical code to avoid harming clients. All licensed and accredited therapists must have legal liability insurance to do their job. This represents their commitment to not doing harm in your life, and it’s how therapists hold themselves accountable to their legal duties. It’s also why a therapist might provide strong advice when there’s a legal or ethical consideration to take into account.
And Now, a Word from AI
I asked AI whether or not it should be used for therapy. And for science, I also asked it to try to present a counter-argument to its own point. Here is the response:
Conclusion
With all the limitations of AI, it’s hard to imagine that it could ever replace therapy on the whole as a profession. As a therapist/business owner, I also have to consider—aside from all the identified concerns—is my job threatened by AI? You might be wondering that too. Psychology, as the study of the mind and behaviour, cannot be “understood” nor advanced by computer code. It is by humans, about humans, and for humans. With AI being integrated into more of our digital daily lives, it may be harder to opt out of, but we aren’t destined to use it for everything.
AI and generative learning models will always generate a response to a prompt. In training, therapists learn about the therapeutic use of silence. This empty space can be a tool that allows someone to ponder, feel their feelings, and come up with their own response.
