With the rise of AI and the inroads it is making into our everyday lives, the increasing use of ChatGPT in place of professional therapy is a timely topic.

ChatGPT is a great tool that is efficient, always available and free (to a point). Late night conversations when you can’t sleep, quick advice in the midst of a crisis – it’s like you have immediate, free access to your own personal therapist whenever you need to reach out for help. But is it as good as it seems? What is the difference between AI generated therapy and that delivered by a trained professional? Does it matter?

AI is here to stay and making its way into many fields. There are many benefits, increased productivity being a key one, but it is also important that we recognise its limitations.

When we seek counselling and therapy we are usually feeling quite vulnerable and often overwhelmed by whatever life has thrown at us. As counsellors we talk about ‘holding space’ for our clients, meaning that we hold this vulnerability and overwhelm (or whatever else) that they bring with care and expertise. This requires human connection, ‘being with’, coming from genuine compassion and empathy for those who are hurting, struggling or feeling broken in some way. To do this requires us to draw from all that makes us human. AI can look and sound like a human but it cannot be human.

What ChatGPT therapy can’t do:

1. Attune to the client. It can’t read your body language, pick up on emotional cues, facial expressions, or any other subtle cues that your counsellor is trained to notice. These small moments communicate volumes that a trained counsellor won’t miss. AI can only respond to what you type or say.
2. Clinical Assessment. A trained counsellor will make a clinical assessment based on a thorough history (by asking you the right questions), your presenting issues, their context and think holistically in terms of the whole person. They will connect you with services and referrals when needed and work collaboratively with you to achieve your goals. They will also assess and monitor any risk posed to yourself or others. AI cannot assess risk with any accuracy, and does not have the ability to make an informed, clinical assessment or work with you toward lasting change.
3. Continuity of Care and Accountability. Chat GPT won’t check in with you, intervene in an emergency or crisis, track your progress, monitor change or celebrate your wins. Every time you login its like you are beginning from scratch, Chat GPT won’t remember what you talked about last time, or what the names of your family and friends are, or what happened at work last week – but your counsellor will.
4. A regulated therapeutic presence. Another human in the room that is regulated and trained in how to regulate others is very important when our nervous systems take over and the emotions flood in. ChatGPT can’t help you through a panic attack, or help you regulate your nervous system by providing co-regulation through a calm nervous system. It can’t hold space for you in your vulnerability like another person can.

What ChatGPT can do for you:

Despite these limitations, AI generated therapy can still be a useful tool. The key is to see it as an addition to, rather than a replacement for, professional therapy. Or perhaps, as a bridge between the two.

ChatGPT can:

1. Provide a helpful format for journalling or reflecting on thoughts and feelings.
2. Suggest helpful ideas – coping strategies, tools and ideas that can help you when you’re struggling.
3. Provide clarity and help you sort through the overwhelm. This can help you identify the key issues you want to bring to counselling.
4. Give you quick, immediate support in the moment.

Why ChatGPT therapy is appealing:

I think this comes down to three main things:

1. No cost. Therapy can be expensive and many people don’t have extra money to spend at the moment.
2. Convenient. Always there, no appointments, no waiting – an immediate response in the moment you need it.
3. Low risk. You are anonymous, you don’t need to open up or be vulnerable with anyone else, let alone a counsellor you’ve never met!

I get it – these are all valid and attractive points. But may I counter these with what professional therapeutic helps offers instead:

1. An investment in you. You are investing in a professional help for your mental wellbeing, just like you would in seeing a specialist for your physical health. Also, we tend to value what costs us something. If we pay for a diet plan, we are more likely to stick to it than to one we found free in a magazine. If you desire lasting change this is worth considering.
2. Intentional. Yes you will need to make an appointment ahead of time and it may not be for tomorrow. But this can be an advantage. You can come with intention, having time to think and plan what you want to bring to session.
3. High return. We all know low risk leads to low return. When we risk being vulnerable, reaching out for support and sharing our deep thoughts and feelings, big things happen! Healing, growth and lasting change – worth the risk don’t you think?

A final thought:

ChatGPT didn’t write this blog, I did! But, I did have a conversation with it about what it thinks about people turning to it in place of therapy.

“Accessibility—free, fast, always available—can make ChatGPT feel like an appealing alternative, especially for people who are struggling financially or feeling hesitant about reaching out to a professional.

The tricky part is that people often don’t realise the difference between feeling supported and receiving therapy. I can offer the former, but never the latter. ChatGPT can definitely support someone’s wellbeing—offering reflection, grounding ideas, gentle guidance, and a space to think things through, but it isn’t a replacement for a trained therapist.”

Well said ChatGPT!

If you would like to talk with a human rather than your computer, you can book a session with me here: