If your clients have mentioned using ChatGPT between sessions or you've seen the viral videos of AI therapy, you're not alone in wondering about the future of our profession.
It's currently in preprint, going through peer review. We investigated an AI powered digital program that I was involved in building.
The main findings were:
- People used the digital program for about 6 hours over 2 months. Most people (78%) stuck with the program and did at least the first few sessions.
- The program really helped reduce people's anxiety symptoms. The improvements were bigger than for people who didn't do the program and as good as seeing a therapist in person.
- The benefits lasted even 1 month after finishing the program, especially for people who started with more severe anxiety.
- The digital program got similar results to seeing a therapist, but it took the therapists much less time (only about 1.5 hours per person on average).
So I think there's some incredible potential here to change lives. I also wonder how factors like solipsistic introjection might influence the nature of the therapeutic relationship.
Thank you for this article; it presents great insights and intriguing resources. I also perceive a shift towards supportive roles in therapy that still keep therapists firmly in control. Therapy relies heavily on human connection, making a solely AI-driven approach unlikely to provide genuine healing.
However, I acknowledge that we may be somewhat biased, and I'm eager to observe, with a critical eye, the direction this will take us.
It is one of the most uniquely human fields, so it is hard to imagine AI providing genuine healing to all. But agreed - we are probably somewhat slightly biased too, as therapists!
Yes, I agree with your skepticism. It will influence our field, but since human connection is central to our profession, the role of AI remains unclear. Exciting times!
Thanks again for writing this! I thought this paper I co-authored might be of interest: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.17.24310551v2
It's currently in preprint, going through peer review. We investigated an AI powered digital program that I was involved in building.
The main findings were:
- People used the digital program for about 6 hours over 2 months. Most people (78%) stuck with the program and did at least the first few sessions.
- The program really helped reduce people's anxiety symptoms. The improvements were bigger than for people who didn't do the program and as good as seeing a therapist in person.
- The benefits lasted even 1 month after finishing the program, especially for people who started with more severe anxiety.
- The digital program got similar results to seeing a therapist, but it took the therapists much less time (only about 1.5 hours per person on average).
So I think there's some incredible potential here to change lives. I also wonder how factors like solipsistic introjection might influence the nature of the therapeutic relationship.
Fascinating work! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this article; it presents great insights and intriguing resources. I also perceive a shift towards supportive roles in therapy that still keep therapists firmly in control. Therapy relies heavily on human connection, making a solely AI-driven approach unlikely to provide genuine healing.
However, I acknowledge that we may be somewhat biased, and I'm eager to observe, with a critical eye, the direction this will take us.
It is one of the most uniquely human fields, so it is hard to imagine AI providing genuine healing to all. But agreed - we are probably somewhat slightly biased too, as therapists!
Yes, I agree with your skepticism. It will influence our field, but since human connection is central to our profession, the role of AI remains unclear. Exciting times!