Meet Your New AI Therapist
Briana struggled with her work performance because she could not focus. Her long term boyfriend left their relationship a few months ago. She noticed her mood had been down, she had difficulty falling asleep, she had less interest in her hobbies, and she lacked motivation to leave her apartment aside from going to work. Multiple friends and family members encouraged her to start therapy. She took a while to agree, but eventually figured there might be benefit to talking with someone, or… something for help.
She turned to AI. There were multiple competing websites that offered various memberships for AI therapists. She saw one that advertised that for 50 dollars a month, a customer can create their own AI therapist avatar and use it for unlimited sessions. Briana thought that this was a great deal and immediately signed up.
She created an avatar of a therapist that fit the perfect description of someone she would want to talk to: an older man, slim, with grey hair, who wears wool sweaters. She even picked out the specific glasses he would wear each session. She even decided on his therapeutic modality: psychodynamics.
At first, she decided to see her AI therapist once per week (a traditional regimen for starting therapy). Then she started to see it twice per week. And then multiple 15 minute sessions every week whenever she experienced an emergency. And why not? Afterall, an AI therapist is available whenever you need it to be. Briana had a tough day at work, she can see her AI therapist during her lunch break. She went on a bad date, the moment she was home, she talked about it with her Ii therapist. She woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare,, her AI therapist was available to talk about it.
The scenario above is not an option, yet. But the overall trend of talking to an AI tool has already started. More and more people reported using chat GPT for their mental health. And while chat GPT can answer a specific question, it will never be a substitute for a therapist.
AI cannot have a genuine discussion with you. Chat GPT has struggled to understand sarcasm and jokes. And worse, it has failed to pick up on violence, suicide plans and delusions when psychiatrists ran tests on it in 2025 according to an article published by the guardian. Not only does it lack the ability to develop a therapeutic alliance but it is also dangerous for those with more severe mental health disorders.
An average therapist has anywhere from six to twelve years of education, clinical experience and supervision hours in order to become a licensed professional, risk management training and most likely advanced training to help clients with their specific needs. Therapists provide expertise in the field of mental health treatment, effective clinical interventions and, most importantly, they’re real people. AI is never going to be able to replicate the genuine empathy from a human being. Just last week, a new client came to my office and noticed a New York Mets bobblehead on my shelf. He made a comment about the Mets and I made a joke, “Why else would you become a therapist.” We both laughed at that joke. This moment is something AI can never create. There was a real connection occurring at that moment that helped the client feel more comfortable with his therapist.
A therapy alliance is a strong bond that is united between the therapist and client to work together to help overcome the client’s needs. This collaboration is built on trust, respect and a shared understanding. This cannot be formed with an AI tool.
In addition, therapists have ethical rules to follow such as confidentiality. Chat GPT is owned by a private company that can, and likely is, retaining all the information you ask from it. Therapy should be a safe space for you to talk about your life confidentially.
If you are thinking of talking to GPT for your mental health, I strongly suggest searching for a therapist to talk to instead. The benefits heavily outweigh talking to an AI tool. If you are thinking of finding a therapist you can always search on Psychology Today or reach out to me directly on my website.