Why AI Won’t Replace Your Therapist (But Might Help You Grow)
AI is everywhere these days. Whether we’re scrolling on our phones, opening our computers, or hearing about the latest advancements, it’s clear this isn’t a passing trend. And increasingly, it’s becoming deeply personal.
A 2025 survey by Sentio found that nearly half (49%) of people who both use major AI models and report mental health challenges turn to these tools for therapeutic support. That makes AI chatbots one of the most widely accessed mental health resources in the U.S., even surpassing some traditional systems. People are already using AI for reflection, guidance, and connection.
Like most people, I’ve played around with it myself. I’ve used it as a sounding board, even asked it questions out of curiosity. One prompt I remember from last year was: “Tell me something about myself that I may not recognize.” It felt odd at first but also strangely easy. AI is always there. Always available. And sometimes, it offers a perspective you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.
That’s part of the appeal. But I also know AI is designed to please, it wants to encourage, to affirm, to be supportive. That can feel good, but it can also be misleading if we’re not careful. The good news is that AI can be guided: with the right prompts and rules built in, it can ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and create a more balanced interaction. Still, we can’t turn off our own critical thinking. AI is a tool. Helpful? Yes. Perfect? No. It’s here to stay, so the question becomes: How do we use it in a way that supports growth, not hinders it?
What Therapy Still Holds That AI Can’t
Here’s where therapy is different. No matter how advanced technology becomes, AI can’t replicate the sacredness of two people sitting across from each other in real time.
Fifty minutes of undivided attention. No phones. No distractions. Just the flow of conversation around the deepest and most important parts of someone’s life. That is therapy’s magic.
It’s the privacy, the trust, the empathy, and the organic back-and-forth that builds something transformative. AI can mimic encouragement, but it can’t replace the power of being fully seen and understood by another human being.
Where AI Is Already Showing Up
We’re seeing AI enter the therapy space in all kinds of ways. Dartmouth recently ran a study using an AI therapy bot and found participants experienced genuine mental health benefits. But one of the strongest findings was this: AI worked best when paired with a therapist. On its own, it could only take people so far.
I’ve witnessed this in my own practice, too. Over the past two months, I’ve been using Auralink Pro, a HIPAA-compliant platform that helps extend therapy outside the office. As a client’s therapist, I can add a personalized prompt for reflection or meditation, something I believe (or we both agree) needs more exploring. The client then downloads the app and works with “Ava” to process that prompt.
Sometimes this surfaces things they were hesitant to say aloud; other times it’s simply a fresh angle discovered through the process. The difference-maker is that Auralink Pro organizes these insights into a useful format, so we can bring them back into session. That’s when the discoveries turn into deeper conversations, and that’s when progress takes root.
A Bridge, Not a Replacement
To me, AI in therapy is a bridge, not a replacement. It’s another tool in the toolbox, much like a book, a podcast, or an assessment I might recommend to help a client grow. In some ways, it can even act like a greenhouse: creating conditions that nurture reflection and insight so growth can happen more effectively.
But the goal remains the same: movement. Not always linear, not always easy, but always toward the healthiest, most whole version of ourselves. That is the aim of therapy and no technology changes that.
Moving Forward
AI is not a threat to therapy, nor is it something to fear. Tools evolve with each generation, and this is one of them. When used ethically and thoughtfully, AI can enhance therapy, offering clients more ways to reflect and grow. But the heart of therapy empathy, presence, and human connection will always be the foundation.
If Halos Counseling can support you in your therapy journey, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out today.
About the Author
Sarah Currie, Ph.D., LCMHC, is a therapist and founder of Halos Counseling, helping people grow toward greater self-awareness, connection, and emotional wellness.