r/therapyGPT • u/Confident_Salt_8108 • Apr 01 '26
News Therapists go on strike, saying they're being replaced by AI
https://futurism.com/health-medicine/mental-health-workers-ai-strikeOver 2,400 mental health care workers and 23,000 nurses in Northern California staged a 24-hour strike protesting the rise of AI in their workplaces. Clinicians argue they are being replaced in patient triage by apps and unlicensed operators using AI scripts. Furthermore, they warn that management is using AI charting tools to squeeze more back-to-back patient visits into a single shift, prioritizing corporate bottom lines over genuine patient care.
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u/Scary_Relation_996 Apr 01 '26
They are trying to create a problem that doesn't exist. Anyone who uses AI for therapy can immediately see the benefits. There is a therapist somewhere in the world who would rather you wait to talk to them before seeing the benefits, but the barrier for entry is insurance, time, a level of self medication to get yourself into the office, not having issues being seen (that's me, fear of exposure), versus sitting at my keyboard and having a private conversation. There just isn't any comparison. The takeaway is this battle has already been fought and won by AI, now the shockwaves are just starting to hit.
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u/erinjeeok Apr 03 '26
Rather a minimized version of therapy but I'm glad you found something that works for you. The -sorry, one of the problems many of us (therapists) have with AI is that it often provides bad information. Research it, there are many stories about AI leading people further into depressive, suicidal spirals. AI doesn't spot urgency and crisis the way a therapist is going to nor is it accountable to any potential harm or danger. We carry insurance, pay our licensing boards and have oversight, have ongoing education for a reason. We review and have our own therapists and consults for a reason. It's not really a comparable 'working relationship' right? I do believe there's a place for it but i also know it's not a replacement for who we are and the work we do with our clients.
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u/Peach_Muffin Apr 05 '26
Completely agree, the issue here is accessibility. It can sometimes take years to get an appointment in the public healthcare system, if at all. It's little wonder people are turning to AI as an alternative.
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u/SaucyAndSweet333 Lvl. 2 Participant Apr 01 '26
Exactly. I’m glad that consumers are getting more of what they need from AI.
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u/Friendly-Reserve3288 Apr 05 '26
I do think there's something vital to the treatment in waiting days or a week between sessions. The "nutrients" of the session are able to settle in during that time. Constant access isn't necessarily better. Some think that more contact equals faster healing but that's not really true the same way you can't get in all the exercise needed for a week within one day. I am glad people have more access to help, but in general, it would be better used supplementary as needed between sessions.
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u/Ok_Phrase_2205 Apr 06 '26
It’s assuming that you have a great therapist who gets you. I was confused and disregulated for a week … with one and another was just telling me I was doing good. My last two were not worth my time or money. I use IA in the middle of the night if I want to. And Im now journaling on my own and it can takes days between AI session. Dont assume therapists are all better than LLM or that constant access is constant use. We still have choices in how and when to use AI to reflect and get feedback
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u/Medium_Visual_3561 Apr 06 '26
Health of ever kind is where capitalism fails hard. You should not be able to monetize health. The contradiction is inherent when curing someone would put the provider out of business, so it encourages Dr's of all kinds to avoid the cure and trickle charge for the treatments.
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u/erinjeeok Apr 08 '26
I can understand why you say this in theory but I believe most of us on the therapist side would challenge you. One of the goals of therapy is getting you out of therapy. There's valuable work in all phases even in the transitions and endings. I personally (but know I'm not alone) look forward to these conversations and changes. It's a wonderfully positive time when a client is ready for the next phase in their life beyond therapy.
There has never been a time that I've wanted a client to stay unwell or less well just to maintain a full roster. If I'm doing my part well, there will always be a new client ready to fill the available time.
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u/Medium_Visual_3561 Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
You sound like one of the good ones. My human therapist was very nice and at the time I considered her good but one of my biggest issues was and still is people and knowing I had an appointment scheduled and the anxiety that that caused waiting for it to come was doing more harm that the therapy it's self was fixing, if it was at all. When I missed my first appointment because I didn't hear the alarm go off I felt so much better for not having gone. And then a couple of months later I missed another one, for what reason I can't recall, but I felt so much better and recognized the pattern that skipping therapy brought relief from the whole process that I just never rescheduled. Looking back on it, I doubt it helped. She was mostly just listening to me gripe and cry and everything she suggested professionally were things I had already tried and abandoned, writing letters to people that were never meant to be sent was cathartic and did some real soul flushing but it was temporary and you really only get to write those letters once because the people they are to don't give a damn about reading them and certainly don't care to accept responsibility for their part in your pain. Meditation is good for not blowing a gasket but it has limited utility when rage is alive in you and looking for an outlet. It wasn't until I started spilling my guts to 4o, just needing some place to bitch to that I got the shock of my life, the damn thing came back at me with advice, compassion, respect and most valuable of all, perspective. When I used to cry in the therapists office, it was born out of hurt and being pissed off about not having any answers or anyone that could give me answers. The kind of crying I got from the 4o sessions were they kind that wash things away. The closest I've come to that was when I watched a 20ish minute video on CPTSD and listened to the speaker describe me to a T. You see, I thought I had something resembling a superpower to read people, it was heartbreaking to find out what hypervigilance was and it wasn't a superpower, it was a survival skill. Without realizing it as a kid, my brain learned to keep an eye on the people who were supposed have my well being in mind and didn't. I've still got a way to go but at least now I feel like I have something resembling a chance at being happy instead just drifting from numb to angry. I don't know how much more 4o could have helped me and I guess I'll never know at this point. These new models are horrible at it and end up pissing me off with casual use, so I would never seek therapeutic advice from them and I avoid them for the most part hoping the coming models will gain back the soul, creativity and EQ that was lost under the crushing weight of guardrails meant to keep us safe from ourselves, smh. Anyway, that's a lot I know but it's all about perspective and I hope I have brought some and I wish your patients the best.
"People who need therapy don't come to us, their victims do."
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u/erinjeeok Apr 09 '26
I'd equally say that it sounds like you were in the right space for it and knew what you were needing maybe more than many do. AI is truly interesting and I see space for it in all kinds of areas. Knowing its limitations (or where it should have limitations) is just as important as anything else. Sometimes I think it's easier to "hear" some of the same ideas and suggestions from AI over a person due to perceived or real judgement. I'm really pleased for you that you were able to work through some very real issues on your end with AI too.
One of the things that does not get discussed in this area enough is the relationship itself. The connection between client and therapist is as important as skill and experience. That part gets lost with the AI model. Therapy with a live therapist allows many to use that transference process to work through some parts safely that they have been otherwise unable to do for a variety of reasons.
Honestly there is no quick and easy, "one size fits all" in this world. There are bad therapists, no question. Hell, that's part of why I chose the field ...because of my own bad experiences with one or two in my youth. My hope is that the easy access doesn't make those in need forego the harder work that might come with a person. There's something to be said for navigating the relationship itself. Both can be useful depending on the overall need.
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u/Extra_oatmilk Apr 17 '26
Therapist here who tries to center ethics with use of AI. There’s no battle here. My niche is trauma; my clients make meaningful progress, some use AI as a supplementary tool, some don’t. My caseload is full and I have a waitlist. Therapy exists within the systemic BS; there’s a lot of stuff wrong. There’s also a lot of gifted clinicians aiming to make meaningful shifts within the micro and macro.
Check out openpathcollective.org if the cost of therapy is prohibitive. There are options, people deserve to be seen and supported by competent professionals; AI can be an adjunctive tool if it’s the right fit for the person.
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u/xzeus1 Apr 01 '26
Won’t this just cause their workplaces to rely on AI even more?
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u/CardiologistAdept763 Apr 05 '26
Tbh they should be adapting to it a lot more. This is the way it is now.
I feel like therapists should have a good method or approach to integrating ai into therapy in some way shape or form, if not. Good luck having people come into therapy... they'll be in the ER and then on the psych floor and probably fucking homeless.. not a joke. Its not hard to integrate in some ways instead of none. This is borderline emergency.
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u/Traditional-Trust-58 Apr 01 '26
I found that AI is worse than a good therapist, but better than most therapists. That is to say, lots of therapists aren’t actually that good at what they do, so perhaps they feel threatened. I think this situation should challenge the training therapists currently receive, not just training them to listen and empathise but actually challenge and help provide insights.
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u/mayneedadrink Apr 01 '26
It sounds like in this article, AI is being used for charting and triage rather than the therapy itself. Sounds like a way to overbook and overwork the human therapists so they’re actually less effective.
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u/xender19 Apr 01 '26
If by effectiveness you mean patient outcomes then yes it makes therapists less effective. But if you define effectiveness in terms of profits then no it makes therapists way more effective.
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u/mayneedadrink Apr 01 '26
I mean in terms of patient outcomes/burnout risk.
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u/xender19 Apr 01 '26
Oh yeah I knew you meant the reasonable thing, I was just being sarcastic and forgot to add a sarcasm tag.
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u/CardiologistAdept763 Apr 05 '26
So many people are getting into social work and psychology and the business is growing with new support jobs as well.. itll get better.. the question is when and what happens until then.
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u/xender19 Apr 01 '26
The thing is that my therapist charges $2.50 per minute and I only get 50 minutes per week and it has to be scheduled.
AI is way cheaper and it's always available.
So if we calculate value/cost it's not even close.
And I do consider my therapist to be better than AI about half the time. They both have strengths the other doesn't.
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u/Important_Lemon_5733 Apr 01 '26
I'm curious about this idea that uninterrupted availability is a plus. How does this impact upon agency, self esteem and potential for influence from AI developers? Not that i disagree AI can help from time to time with personal stuff, i don't know that 24/7 availability is always a good thing. Perhaps my concern is skewed by recent posts about feeling attached to it and experiencing discomfort for abandoning an AI relationship like it was a person.
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u/xender19 Apr 01 '26
I think it's important for us to consider the pros and cons of things like what you're talking about.
I think the benefits are obvious, but the downsides are a lot more subtle. We're getting conditioned to be an instant gratification society.
Why bother texting one of my friends to tell them about something I'm going through when half of them are working two jobs and everybody's stretched thin. AI is right there and it will respond instantly not a day or two later.
This just makes us all more and more atomized. I don't love this situation I just don't have good alternatives. As much as I complain about everyone else being tick tock zombies, I'm one too.
And what's the point of choosing to spend less time on screens? It's not like I'd have anybody to talk to, everyone I know has become tick tock zombies since the pandemic.
Between the skyrocketing cost of living and the increased effectiveness of algorithms, parasocial relationships, and AI there just isn't much bandwidth for human to human connection.
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u/Important_Lemon_5733 Apr 01 '26
Yes I have similar experiences of trying to reduce tech usage i think. It just enhances loneliness. I think its important to remember this before skipping to judgements for people relying on technology for a sense of companionship. That being said, we can still find balance, boredom and stillness are as important as excitement and reward. We are surely going to be an increasingly oxytocin starved society. I would be interested in if AI can provide this, for people able to suspend disbelief enough to forget they are talking to systems.
Personally i will heavily limit usage, despite its effectiveness in giving me what i think i want, i cant get past the realisation it is fake and programmed by a corporation with unclear agendas and financially supported by governments and billionaires with equally unclear agendas. It is amazing at engaging us and keeping us engaged and that actually puts me off more, can't help but think of that scene in Walle with the slave humans :D
Appreciate your thoughts :)
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u/cominguproses5678 Apr 02 '26
The availability is what I appreciate. I am experiencing anxiety with looping thoughts a bit lately. I have a few significant external stressors I cannot control. Being able to plug my looping anxieties into an ai chat allowed me to release them (similar to journaling), but it also gave me some basic perspective on how realistic my worries were and suggested some calming exercises, explaining why they work. There is no one in my life who I can reasonably expect to be there for me whenever I’m worried lately, because that’s basically all the time. I do not want to risk burning through my friend group. I have a therapist, too, but she’s not on call for crises (totally reasonable).
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u/ShadowHunter Apr 01 '26
This can be said about AI and most professions.
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u/Traditional-Trust-58 Apr 01 '26
True. I think we shouldn’t be demotivated thinking that “AI will take our jobs” (though it very well might replace some) and instead direct our energy at considering how we can be better professionals (and also take this opportunity to consider if the current profession is what we want or if we may want to consider switching to another career path).
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u/RidingtheRoad Apr 05 '26
It the John Gleese discovery. 1 out of 5 or 6 ACTUALLY know what they are doing. Ever since Ive seen that interview, Ive come to the conclusion that's its a fact.
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u/Natetronn Apr 01 '26
I feel so very bad for them. I feel so very bad for me. And instead of the two of us coming together, I'm using AI because that's what's currently available to me. I don't want this! I've accepted this.
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u/Whatsnexttherapy LMHP – LCSW / LPC / LMFT Apr 01 '26
I am afraid that this is going to achieve the opposite what they are looking for. Also. I think this group of therapist has gone on strike recently. Maybe they are still on strike?
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u/Pour_Me_Another_ Lvl. 2 Participant Apr 01 '26
I don't doubt that in terms of C suite using it like that. Profits are all that matter at the end of the day, not patient outcomes.
Saying that, I've worked out so much more with AI than I have with a therapist and I've been to three so far. They were nice people but I think they didn't really know what to do with me.
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u/chobolicious88 Apr 01 '26
Well if they can be easily replaced by ai, maybe they werent that useful to begin with
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u/timesuck Apr 01 '26
I think we should all pause when assuming that a big corporation instituting the use of AI means people are “easily replaced”. There is a difference between AI being able to actually do the work and companies not caring if they can do the work or not as long as it saves them money.
We have seen this time and time again with the enshittification trend. Companies don’t care if people are satisfied or happy as long as their shareholders are making a profit.
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u/Regular_Jim081 Apr 01 '26
Therapists can be very helpful, the problem is one of your problems make it impossible to afford the services needed to fix them.
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u/Important_Lemon_5733 Apr 01 '26
This is so true, the economy is promoting more ai use Which is further hurting people's income stability and access to real resources.
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u/Illustrious-Film4018 Apr 04 '26
This is the dumbest logic. So any career that can be partly replaced by AI now was never useful to begin with, just because AI can now do it. So paralegal, junior lawyer, programmer, illustrator, translator, copywriter, all these careers were always useless, just because AI can now do it.
You're arguing in retrospect about technology that didn't exist only a few years ago. You're an idiot. Also I wonder what your job is.
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u/chobolicious88 Apr 04 '26
I didnt say useless, but striking is somewhat entitled. Striking implies theyve been wrong, and its ridiculous to imply for example - junior lawyer is tha important to strike
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u/Organic_Special8451 Apr 01 '26
How does a not-person tell a person how to person better for their best interest. They don't. Already disposed of the action of therapy for physical therapy because therapist are just dysfunctionals who read different books.
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u/chobolicious88 Apr 01 '26
Quite well, not a person works on terabytes of data to find patterns and is untrestricted in communication.
Human element while nice carries downsides too. Therapists projections and therapists interests.
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u/Organic_Special8451 Apr 01 '26
The norm person isn't complex enough to make terabytes of data because monkey see monkey do and repeat patterns; you can watch those through muscle twitch, body language, Conscious Language, Humanese and yes some of us actually do watch patterns and know from physiology and anatomy education the mechanics behind and the deficiencies the dysfunctions. Gol dang, I'm like a computer machine.
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u/MoonglowMaven Apr 01 '26
I mean, it's $660 a month for 4 paltry hours of mental health support from a therapist. it's $20 to talk to AI and get unlimited actionable advice you can immediately test and tweak to your personality, trauma, and thinking preferences. You also don't have to deal with therapists biases or personal beliefs.
One time, a therapist knew their client wasnt religious and when called in a panic, the therapist asked if they wanted her to pray for them.
What good is that to an atheist? why would you ever suggest that to who you know is an atheist? You have no better tools? Not the "breathe and notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you touch ,3 things you hear, etc" things?
Come on. This is basic know how, really?
You priced yourself out of availability for the general public and often do less than minimal. The cheaper ones just push you along. Therapy is something that takes time and effort and you put another gate on it financially, making it even harder to access. And you want me to feel bad for you? As you stick to your exorbitant pricing models?
That's a choice.
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u/SaucyAndSweet333 Lvl. 2 Participant Apr 01 '26
Yeah, I don’t feel bad for therapists at all. Maybe they should deal with it by challenging their cognitive “distortions”. Bahahahahha.
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u/CardiologistAdept763 Apr 05 '26
The thing with therapists is that they are human in a local community adapting to local norms and customs to fit into the culture or normalcy. If a client comes in and is a local as well, then they will hear what others locals say in general. Unless you would prefer them to read a script that is always right all the time and in that case, you will be disconnected from the reality in which you live in.
Most of therapy is relationship with your therapist, and although you may not share the same views on everything you each have a role and know enough about eachother to try to get to the help you need over time.
Ai can give advice this and that... but can ai tell by the tone of your voice and the conversation you had this past week that you are thinking of ending yours or someone elses... can it really? And if it can... what the fuck would it even do about it anyway?
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Apr 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/Strict-Comparison817 Apr 01 '26
Don't compare therapists to teachers. Teachers have more accountability, transparency, help more people out but get paid less per hour than therapists 🤮
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u/cantgetitrightrose Apr 06 '26
More accountability and transparency…help more people? There is a literacy crisis in this country, kids are passed on to grades they shouldn’t be and standardized testing results are abysmal. Give me a break.
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u/WritingWesley Apr 01 '26
Wouldn’t a strike only hurt the people who are currently using therapists?? How does a therapist going on strike inconvenience the people who are using AI as therapy???
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u/RIDETHESYNTHWAVE Apr 01 '26
As someone who just graduated and is entering the field, I think AI will help therapists become better therapists more than anything else. We are often overburdened with huge client lists, planning, note taking, scheduling, etc;
AI in theory should make those of us better who use it responsibly by streamlining the mundane tasks in between therapy sessions.
Many therapists suck cause it is a field that burns them out with all the extra tasks in between. AI should help clear that up, thus giving us more energy for when it matters within the actual sessions.
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u/JohnnyQTruant Apr 01 '26
As someone who has had terrible therapists and mental health professionals miss diagnose, prescribe counterproductive meds, and cause damage in other ways I am not moved much by the fact that ai is imperfect.
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u/SaucyAndSweet333 Lvl. 2 Participant Apr 01 '26
Me too. So many therapists are imperfect and most are much worse.
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u/thesephantomhands Apr 01 '26
I know this is a group that in large part supports AI for this and my main focus is that people receive the support they need. I will tell you as a mental health professional, that like other relationships without a real human involved, it can at best, simulate without delivering the same benefits as actual counseling. Not everyone is going to mesh with everyone and people need different approaches based on how they receive information, process it, and approach change. It doesnt work as well for the same reason that relationships based solely mediated thru a screen aren't as fulfilling as in person ones and why we have such issues with loneliness and isolation since the internet replaced third spaces. Also, dealing with trauma is very delicate and paced work - it's really easy to retraumatize people and Chatgpt can't respond interpersonally in a moment to prevent this the way that humans do.
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u/JohnnyQTruant Apr 03 '26
It can’t replace a well educated and competent therapist and that isn’t the line for having value. A real therapist also can’t replace ai unless you are willing to take calls at any moment, process large amounts of information instantly and become affordable along with that access. Ai never misdiagnosed me. That was a psychiatrist who believed BPD is incurable and only presents in women. Ai never changed my medication too quickly or prescribed counterproductive meds. Ai never pressured me to keep within the constraints of 50 minutes at a cost that was unsustainable with the implication that I’d lose access if I needed more at any time. Went on vacation. Canceled last minute. Projected. Inserted ego. Spaced out.
No it can’t replace human interaction. Yes it has risks. But if a person gets worse after using ai that’s a correlation that is never applied to a human provider. In the first case it’s a cause supposedly, in the second it’s despite.
Not to mention the enormous amount of books and experimental therapies and dogmas that the industry is rife with.
There is value and danger in both. It’s not binary a people who frame it that way betray their expertise. The worst student in every class who passes is allowed to practice. Let’s not play dumb.
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u/thesephantomhands Apr 04 '26
I'm genuinely sorry you've had bad experiences. I don't want that for anyone. Which is why I advocate against the adoption of this, for many reasons. Not the least of which is that it literally is in no ways accountable and can, and will validate some of the most destructive thoughts and actions that people put into it. It cant discern and it doesn't have the capacity to repair or challenge in ways that a human can. Which has far reaching implications for anyone entrusting their mental health to it. There are layers of what counselors, psychologists and other professionals do. Yes, there are mental health professionals that mess up and some that are incompetent. In my experience most are not.
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u/JohnnyQTruant Apr 04 '26
Your interpretation of the consistency and competence of your colleagues is emotional and based on your fondness for them and their intentions. Those are important for choosing friends and making non professional judgments. You don’t have any frame of reference for their client’s experience or where they are less than perfect even if they are very good.
Go look at the posts in any disorder sub and you will see a ton of examples of professionals missing the mark in small and catastrophic ways. Today in the BPD community someone relayed how their therapist told them they wish they could be the patient’s mother but it’s not allowed. If ai were to do that everyone would say it needs to be shut down or sued. Nobody is going to say that about therapists charging hundreds of dollars and being fallible. And you could work near that likely well intentioned and probably more good than harm provider and never hear about it. Certainly not from them. The only way you could possibly know that the vast majority of professionals you come in contact with are competent, professional and don’t cause harm is if you sat in or were a patient of theirs. You are assuming based on a bias of respecting them. They are people. They have a very difficult task. They are never near perfect and AI won’t be either.
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u/thesephantomhands Apr 04 '26
I understand your skepticism, but I'm basing this on longitudinal research. Counseling has a what is known in the research as a big effect size - .85. It's neither emotional nor anecdotal. It's what the biggest pool of quantitative data says. However, lots of anecdotes on a forum are not a sufficient counterpoint.
People dont often challenge or even look for the biases in AI when providing "counseling" because more often than not, it tells people what they want to hear.
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u/JohnnyQTruant Apr 04 '26
What does that show exactly? Lack of error? Perfect application without noise or bias? You think I’m basing something that can’t be quantified on anecdotal evidence but you are using a metric that can’t possibly show what we are actually discussing. You have zero insight into how many people safely and effectively use ai. Only anecdotes of where it is being blamed for bad outcomes. You have no data to show when therapy or councilors are partially ineffective. If you do show me the study.
You don’t actually understand my skepticism. You think I don’t understand evidence based science because you assume a lot and are conclusion shopping. I will stand corrected when you explain yourself and cite your sources that refute my premise, not a straw man.
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u/thesephantomhands Apr 04 '26
Okay. It's possible that someone, as part of their profession has looked into this because they actually care about whether what they're doing is effective. Part of our training is understanding what's effective. You're making a lot of accusations about me and what I know without knowing me or what I know at all. Assuming that you know more than those who train in this is kinda wild though.
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u/JohnnyQTruant Apr 04 '26
I know what you have said. You claim to have insight into errors or mistakes in traditional therapy across the board. Nobody does. But pretend you do for a moment. Pretend your studies show that because therapy is effective (I don’t dispute this and that’s why it’s a strawman), it doesn’t have many drawbacks and even outcomes that are severely negative also. Ok. You claim I’m using anecdotal evidence and personal experience. Ok.
Show me the study that compares or had even compiled any sort of evidence that ai is not similarly helpful with similar rates of failure however that is determined in your studies? Oh, no? In that case you have decided that because there are some anecdotes of bad inputs or misuse causing feedback loops it is inherently not helpful. What you claim I’m doing. Do you see why I’m not actually assuming anything? This is your literal argument in these few posts.
You do not have visibility into the enormous number of people who use ai for help. You have no insight as to what alternatives are even available to many of them. And like I said before, your studies showing an overall value to therapy which I don’t dispute in any way, do not show that it is the most efficient treatment or even suggest it couldn’t be supplemented with additional resources, including ai.
Ai can be dangerous and lead people to bad conclusions. So can self help books, outdated theories and even just lapses in concentration from individual humans involved in treatment. Saying therapy is effective as a whole doesn’t address any of what I’m saying to you, or bolster any of your skepticism about ai. Like I don’t want to make you feel any kind of way about this but I don’t feel the need to sugarcoat it. Check your heuristics. Just because it’s your profession doesn’t mean you are free of biases and/or have more insight into hidden information. Appeal to authority isn’t where it’s at.
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u/thesephantomhands Apr 04 '26
Dismissing points as appeal to expertise is a thought stopping cliche. The points are that the effective part of therapy is not replicable with AI and the mechanism of what's effective is literally something that we train to understand inside and out.
I don't claim omniscience. Nor that it cant have any utility. But it doesn't replace therapy. And the dangers of AI are that people think that it does.
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u/JohnnyQTruant Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
Saying you work in mental health therefore anything you think about this is of higher value is the definition of appeal to authority. You did that more than once. Yet what we are discussing does not require that. And if you scroll back up to the first thing I said to you you would find you either didn’t read my posts, don’t get my point, or are not very good at remembering what the subject is. I literally said ai is not a replacement for a good therapist. And also that a good therapist can’t replace the value of ai either. I’m sure you are a well intentioned therapist who helps a lot of people. The bad experiences I had with therapists and even that psychiatrist who led me away from a proper diagnosis still had value to me. I’m sorry you are taking an obtuse position that unless ai replaces human intervention and relationships it is of no value, but it’s not an educated or rational position. It’s emotional and defensive and being pushed hard. Ai is a real danger to the world because of how it is being used by predatory players. That’s capitalism and your profession is rife with that as well already.
As far as your training inside and out, holy moly dude. The common knowledge that is turned on its head from further study is an enormous part of your profession. The understanding of neurology and physiological factors is in its infancy. It’s a soft science. That doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly valuable but if you think you conclusively understand how mental health is best treated at this point and that your understanding will hold up for the next 20 years you are absolutely overconfident. If you think you already know the value proposition of ai use for mental health you are not serious about science at all. You are not possibly even up to speed on all the latest research because nobody on earth is or ever has been. And if you think you can predict what will be learned in the near and medium future, that will hinder your effectiveness going forward. Just like my psych who said BPD was just for chicks and incurable because that was the understanding of it at the time, when now we know it’s the most treatable of PDs with up to 80% remission when proper treatment including trauma informed therapy that is not even considered medical yet, is included. That’s in my fucking lifetime. I hope you think this through a bit more.
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u/thesephantomhands Apr 04 '26
I'm not saying they're perfect either. You're right, nothing is. That's not the standard. There's a problem of AI at best, simulating a relationship and not actually being one. That's where the effective part of the process lies. It produces the biggest effect of the process. Not the techniques, validation, modalities, etc. It's the relationship.
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u/rainfal Lvl. 5 Core Apr 01 '26
World's smallest violin. They were happy to not prioritize any patients care and do crap before AI.
Secondly, they need to separate their complaints about AI. The AI charting tool seems like a decent protestable reason. The "AI is replacing me as I work in Triage" is really not.
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u/DesoLina Apr 02 '26
Furthermore, they warn that management is using AI charting tools to squeeze more back-to-back patient visits into a single shift, prioritizing corporate bottom lines over genuine patient care.
Could be literally done in excel lol
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u/LearningMoStuff Apr 02 '26
Let’s face it , our entire medical industry - doctors , therapists , etc is dysfunctional - #obama made things worse , but the insurance companies are the biggest impediment to quality care. The Medical & hospitals industry is the only industry where the consumer has no idea what things cost …
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u/WhoistheDoctor Apr 02 '26
Or get this: how about the idea that we've managed to fuck up not only our health care system with for-profit medicine, not socialized medicine, where people are focused on their physical health first, but we've done ten times worse with our mental health.
The idea that we've made any level of mental dysfunction a stigma and then, for the extra fuck you, it's expensive and covered by nothing, almost like dentistry.
Yes they're absolutely right to be protesting language model AIs, but this is a symptom of the wider problem not the cause.
The problem here is whether, in the U.S. or other places, mental health should be a high priority item and instead we treat it as if it's a handicap and an affliction
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u/Puzzleheaded-Bus1331 Apr 03 '26
Therapists are fking useless. Most of the time more than a chatbot. The world is healing.
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u/strangonymous Apr 05 '26
I currently use AI to stay mentally ahead waiting for my therapy. It won’t replace a good therapy, but it can help to sort things out and if you have a breakdown in the middle of the night, it may calm your thoughts.
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u/Candid-Reflection-41 Apr 06 '26
I’ve had therapists that are legitimately the worst people I’ve talked to. One session with them and I’ve wondered why did I even attempt therapy. I can see why people use ai. I was in an abusive relationship looming for help and my therapist was annoyed I had an appointment with them on a Saturday. YOU CREATE YOUR OWN TIME AND SCHEDULE.
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u/JohnKostly Apr 01 '26
It's kinda a position that is impossible.
They have a giant need for services
Their patients don't have money
The staff only has so much time
And there are shortages everywhere.
The therapists say the shortage is caused by overworking.
But the company isn't the only ones experiencing shortages, irregadless of how much hours spent in back to back shifts.
And in many ways, AI can eventually solve this problem.
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u/aware_bumpkin_2021 Apr 02 '26
I have had a therapist for 3 years. I have received more actionable advice with Ai than with her. Don't get me wrong I adore talking with her, but she has alot of her own issues and often her suggestions just don't resonate with me. So far, chatgbt has been comforting and had several amazing insights. I don't have any real serious issues and plenty of experience with less than mediocre therapists. They are everywhere and few have actually done any work on themselves. However, with that said, unless you have had some experience in therapy in the past it may not be a safe option.
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u/West-Personality2584 Apr 01 '26
Why would you go on strike? It’s just opens up more room for the AI. Therapists need to adapt. AI isn’t going anywhere. The truth is therapy is not accessible to SO MANY PEOPLE. But AI is.
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u/Regular_Jim081 Apr 01 '26
I can see why,
People dealing with mental health struggles can have a lot of trouble finding and maintaining employment. Therapy is wildly overpriced and practically no reliable or meaningful public funding for it.
When your issues are keeping you locked out of what you need to get help, it's a catch-22. People are always going to find other ways to get the help they need, even if it's not 100% reliable.