Table of Contents

• The Rise of AI in Mental Health Support

• AI vs. Traditional Talk Therapy: Accessibility and Affordability

• The Core Purpose of Therapy: Empowerment Over Answers

• What a Human Therapist Offers That AI Can’t

• The Limits of Artificial Intelligence in Therapy

• Can AI Replace Therapy?

Can Artificial Intelligence Replace Traditional Talk Therapy?

I have noticed that a recurring question I receive when I share that I am a psychotherapist is, “Are you worried about your job being replaced by artificial intelligence?”

Increasingly, people are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) as an alternative to traditional talk therapy, and their reasoning is understandable. AI is more affordable for individuals who cannot afford the cost of traditional talk therapy. It can also be more accessible in that you can ask AI a question at a moment’s notice, as opposed to waiting for your weekly one-hour session with your therapist. This immediate access to support is convenient, reassuring, and … enabling. 

Let me expand. Clients come to therapy for a variety of reasons, but a core goal of the clinician, regardless of the client’s circumstances, is to empower them to cope with and navigate life’s twists and turns independently. My role is not to be readily available to provide clients with the solutions they seek and the comfort they desire. This reality can cause temporary resistance in clients. “What am I paying you for then?” 

You are paying your therapist to witness, reflect, and connect with you. 

Witness

We as humans are so deeply enmeshed in our own experiences that it can be challenging to see our thoughts, actions, and circumstances from an objective perspective. An ethical clinician strives to enter the therapeutic space as a blank slate. 

Of course, it would be impossible to do so perfectly, but clinicians spend two-plus years of graduate school and thousands of hours post-grad working with supervisors to process our biases to minimize bringing our own “stuff” into the therapeutic space. We strive to show up in therapy sessions as an unbiased witness to you and your story. We want to understand your experience in its entirety and see you as you truly are. 

Reflect

A therapist can provide a fresh perspective, observing and commenting on things that you may have unknowingly internalized. Think of us as a mirror, reflecting what you share with us to help you see yourself and your circumstances with more clarity. 

For example, you share that you have a complicated relationship with your partner and are considering breaking up with them. You ask what you should do. Rather than giving you a “yes” or “no” answer, let's explore what is not working within this relationship. Let’s also explore what caused you to be attracted to your partner in the first place. Are there any patterns showing up within your relationships, familial and platonic included? Interestingly, the emotional volatility that is showing up in your romantic relationship mirrors the emotional volatility that you experienced in your relationship with your parents … Let’s unpack this. Were you attracted to your partner, or did the love they initially provided remind you of the love you received as a child? No wonder you were drawn to them … 

This is the real work. If your therapist or AI were to give you the “yes” or “no” answer that you were looking for, so much of your experience and internal processes would go unexplored. What a disservice to your agency and the complexity of the human experience. Through this deeper exploration, we as clinicians hope to guide you toward seeing yourself and your experience with increased clarity, compassion, and understanding. 

Connect

The connection that takes place within the therapeutic relationship is what allows me to confidently answer “no” to the initial question posed. AI is a powerful tool that has many potential benefits for clinicians and clients alike. However, communicating with AI will never replace the connection that the therapeutic relationship offers. 

A central purpose of the therapeutic relationship is to provide a corrective emotional experience for the client. This is where a client visits past traumas in a safe, supportive environment with their therapist, ideally experiencing a different, healthier interaction with the therapist than they did with significant figures in their past, such as a parent or caregiver. AI cannot provide the corrective emotional experience that a relationship with another human can provide. 

Conclusion

Ultimately, while AI can offer quick answers and affordable support, it cannot replicate the transformative process of therapy. Healing happens not just through information but through relationships—through being truly seen, having your experiences reflected back with nuance, and feeling safe enough to rewrite old relational patterns. These moments of witnessing, reflection, and connection are uniquely human and cannot be automated. AI may be a helpful tool along the way, but therapy remains a deeply personal, relational journey that only unfolds in the presence of another human being willing to walk alongside you.