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Artificial Intelligence is quickly integrating into society, including in the areas of mental, emotional, and physical health. As AI tools and chatbots become more widely used and normalized, they are becoming increasingly embedded in the emotional and relational lives of our clients. Therapists are more frequently encountering clients who use chatbots for therapeutic purposes, emotional support, and even as personal companions. This webinar provides an overview of how AI is now affecting client mental health and relationships, using examples of relevant current events and publicly reported cases from this past year. Participants will examine the primary ways AI is changing clinical needs, including AI-associated mental or emotional harm, AI-companionship, and the use of AI for 'self-therapy' outside of sessions. We will also review emerging ethical issues and new state standards for practitioners. By attending, clinicians will widen their scope of competence and improve their understanding of the broader impact of AI on mental health. Participants will leave with specific assessment questions for these emerging issues, as well as strategies for how to conceptualize these new use cases within the therapeutic setting.
Earn (2) CE Credits
This course meets the qualifications for 2 of hours continuing education credits for LMFTs, LPCCs, LEPs and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
Educational Goal:
1. To equip participants with a comprehensive overview of the current human-AI landscape and how it is integrating into the emotional and relational lives of clients.
2. To educate clinicians on identifying AI-associated harms and incorporating the emerging ethical standards for AI use in psychotherapy.
3. To provide participants with initial assessment strategies for addressing problematic AI use or "self-therapy" within the therapeutic setting.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify two types of AI-associated mental or emotional harms resulting from client AI-use that are now entering the therapy setting.
2. Describe at least three ways AI-companionship and 'self-therapy' use are currently impacting the relational and emotional lives of clients.
3. Summarize the emerging state ethical standards relevant to AI in clinical practice.
4. Identify two new assessment questions that can help therapists screen for problematic AI use.
June Thompson MFT (she)
June is a licensed psychotherapist and geographer with over 20 years of clinical experience. An AAMFT-designated clinical supervisor, her expertise includes working with anxiety, depression, and complex trauma across outpatient, residential treatment, and psychiatric hospital settings. She holds dual master’s degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy and Human and Environmental Geography.
Her research focuses on the intersection of technology and human behavior, specializing in the emerging psychology of human-AI interactions. She has drawn additional insights from extensive time spent within AI-user online communities to learn about firsthand experiences involving AI-associated delusions and parasocial relationships. June is featured in the 2026 title How to Talk to AI (And How Not To) by BBC journalist and author Jamie Bartlett, where she discusses parasocial relationships in AI use.
