Episode 530: When Clients Use AI for Therapy -- Risks, Realities, and Conversations We Need to Have
Update: 2025-08-22
Description
Welcome solo and group practice owners! We are Liath Dalton and Evan Dumas, your co-hosts of Group Practice Tech.
In our latest episode, we chat about what you should know when clients use AI for therapy.
We discuss:
- the risks and benefits of clients using AI in a therapeutic manner
- how clinicians can approach conversations about AI practices with clients
- why clients are turning to AI for therapeutic purposes, and what clinicians can do to support them safely
Listen here: https://personcenteredtech.com/group/podcast/
For more, visit our website.
Resources
- APA article: Using generic AI chatbots for mental health support: A dangerous trend
- Article: Illinois’ ban on AI therapy won’t stop people from asking chatbots for help
- Article: Using Generative AI for therapy might feel like a lifeline – but there’s danger in seeking certainty in a chatbot
- Article: AI chatbots are becoming popular alternatives to therapy. But they may worsen mental health crises, experts warn
- NPR story: He said, she said, it said: I used ChatGPT as a couple's counselor. How did we fare?
- Article: AI Therapist Goes Haywire, Urges User to Go on Killing Spree
- Psychiatric Times: Preliminary Report on Chatbot Iatrogenic Dangers
- Stanford University article: Exploring the Dangers of AI in Mental Health Care
PCT Resources
- Free handout resource: Clinician Conversation Starters: Bringing Client AI Use Into the Therapy Room
- Practical prompts and responses to help clinicians talk with clients about AI use in ways that are safe, constructive, and clinically grounded.
- Free handout resource: Clinical Leadership Checklist: Guiding Teams in Addressing Client AI Use
- A step-by-step guide for clinical supervisors and directors to make client AI use considerations an intentional part of practice culture, including team awareness, policy updates, and supervision strategies.
- On-Demand CE course: Law & Ethics of the Clinical Use of Artificial Intelligence: Implications in Clinical Practice
- This 3 CE credit training with attorney and mental health counselor Eric Ström, JD, PhD, LMHC explores the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence in behavioral health. Learn how AI tools are being applied in clinical practice, what legal and ethical standards apply, and how to confidently evaluate whether and how to integrate new technologies. Participants gain practical strategies for aligning AI use with HIPAA, professional ethics codes, and client care standards—empowering you to implement AI tools responsibly and effectively in your practice.
- **Useful for all clinicians and practice leadership**
- Group Practice Care Premium
- weekly (live & recorded) direct support & consultation service, Group Practice Office Hours -- including monthly session with therapist attorney Eric Ström, JD PhD LMHC
- + assignable staff HIPAA Security Awareness: Bring Your Own Device training + access to Device Security Center with step-by-step device-specific tutorials & registration forms for securing and documenting all personally owned & practice-provided devices (for *all* team members at no per-person cost)
- + assignable staff HIPAA Security Awareness: Remote Workspaces training for all team members + access to Remote Workspace Center with step-by-step tutorials & registration forms for securing and documenting Remote Workspaces (for *all* team members at no per-person cost) + more
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