Is ChatGPT a Therapist’s Best Friend?
Using AI as part of your practice could be liberating.
Posted July 24, 2025 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley
I recently recorded a podcast with my co-host, Lilian Borges, in which we discussed the utility of artificial intelligence in our profession. I have to confess that I needed to do a lot of research; I have used ChatGPT only occasionally—and in fact, I sometimes even forget it exists. Researching for the podcast challenged and interested me in looking into how it’s currently being used in my field.
Some of you may be old enough to remember ELIZA, an early natural language conversation program developed in what would become MIT’s AI lab. Its creator, Joseph Weizenbaum, was astonished years later to learn that people attributed human thought and feelings to it: "I had not realized,” he wrote, “that extremely short exposures to a relatively simple computer program could induce powerful delusional thinking in quite normal people." Some therapists used ELIZA (which was programmed as a Rogerian practitioner so it could echo back what the person said to it) as a prescreening tool. Some went even further and used it in conjunction with their own work.
It's not an either/or situation
Zoom up to 2025, and ChatGPT is light-years ahead of its ancestor—inspiring users to believe it is fully like them, with emotions and preferences and empathy. And that, in turn, makes some people ask the obvious question: If I can discuss my problems with a chatbot for free, why pay a therapist?
I understand that. In some cases, a chatbot may be the best solution. One of my clients was working on interpersonal issues and communication with his partner, and late one night, when he was quite upset and couldn’t sleep, he turned to AI, and the chatbot gave him sound advice on regulating himself and on better communication. And as he did this at three o’clock in the morning, rather than call me at that hour, I was really quite grateful !
That experience with my client got me curious, and so I asked the chatbot some questions that come up frequently in my work with gay men. The answers I received were factual, relevant, and, to be honest, pretty much what I would say were the questions directed at me. And that three o'clock call? The chatbot also advised my client to go and explore his issues further with a therapist. So it did two things: offered him immediate peace of mind and a plan for his long-term mental health.
Could chatbots replace our profession? I think not: Machines cannot replace a qualified therapist who provides interpersonal experience for the client—which, as we all know, is still at the heart of what therapy offers. Numerous studies over the years have determined that it is the relationship with the therapist that actually helps people, far more than just some possible answers to specific issues.
I’m quite sure that’s true. Have you ever noticed that you immediately feel better after a checkup with your medical provider? Did you see how that contact helped you develop confidence in your ability to deal with your health maintenance? A visit to the therapist provides the same feeling of having been with someone who cares about you and considers you to be part of your healthcare team: we develop relationships that are deep and fulfilling to both parties.
What about transference and countertransference?
In therapy, transference can be a powerful tool for understanding a client's past relationships and emotional patterns. On the other hand, the therapist's own past experiences, unresolved conflicts, and personality traits can influence their countertransference reactions, but most of us learned early on how to recognize our issues and accept them.
That said, transference binds a client and therapist together. As the therapist elicits memories from the client’s past, their relationship continues to offer moments that are profound and intimate. And that isn’t ever going to happen with a chatbot; it takes human understanding of the human situation, empathy, and a commitment to the client’s well-being.
I was quite surprised to see how handy a tool and resource ChatGPT proved to be for me, my clients, and people in my social circles. Despite my initial distrust and doubt (not to mention my age!), I am now a believer—with the caveat that it should be used with some skepticism. Chatbots can experience “hallucinations,” which in this context can be translated as “says things that aren’t true.” An author friend of mine asked the chatbot for suggestions about comp titles and found several books in the response that simply didn’t exist.
I work with a client who’s a minister, and one day he accidentally hit a button that led him to a chatbot. He felt like he’d arrived at Oz; there was so much more information there. He took a lot of that information and rephrased it for a sermon...and then asked me if what he was doing was ethical. I opined that taking the info and tailoring it to his sermon was an excellent use of resources.
To be truthful, the chatbot is actually teaching me how to use it effectively, and with better instructions than you get assembling something from IKEA. And, honestly, if I can do it, you absolutely can.
It seems to me that embracing our times instead of rejecting them can be a healthy thing. People are asking questions about relationships and are getting good answers, and this without diminishing the role of the therapist.
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Rick Miller, LISW , is a clinical social worker in private practice in Massachusetts, and the author of Unwrapped: Integrative Therapy with Gay Men … the Gift of Presence (2015).
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.