How to use AI for Mental Health
- Jul 28, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 29
Hacking Your Healing: Tech's Place in Mental Wellness
In today's digitally driven world, technology has asserted its way into every aspect of our lives, including mental healthcare. While the idea of artificial intelligence in mental health and psychotherapy might conjure images of robots and science fiction, the reality can be more practical and promising. When used thoughtfully, AI can serve as a powerful ally to traditional therapy by helping deepen insights and maintain goals.
Technology is not about replacing the invaluable human connection you have with your doctor or therapist. Instead, it's about adding a powerful set of tools to your mental wellness toolkit. As an adjunctive tool, and not "the" tool, AI can help us improve our mental health. Let's explore how below (with all points intended for adults, and not children or adolescents, which need more supervision).
Never Forget a Breakthrough: AI for Therapy Session Summaries and Homework
Have you ever left a therapy session feeling enlightened, only to find the key details fuzzy a few days later? You're not alone. A therapy hour can be packed with emotional breakthroughs, new perspectives, and practical advice. It's a lot to hold onto especially when we are interacting with a busy world. This is where AI can be a game-changer. With your permission and ensuring the use of a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform, AI tools can:
Transcribe and Summarize: AI can generate a concise summary of your therapy session and highlight the main themes discussed, key insights you uncovered, and important questions raised. You won't have to take notes during the session so you can be fully engaged, and you won't have to worry about trying to remember everything discussed amongst all the other things you are trying to keep track in your mind.
Identify Action Items: The AI can pull out specific "homework" assignments or coping strategies your therapist suggested. Instead of trying to recall them from memory, you will have a clear, organized list. This clarity ensures that the work continues long after the session ends.
It's however important that your therapist get your verbal and written consent to use AI and it's ok talk to your therapist about how your data is collected, secured, and deleted.
Your 24/7 Problem-Solving Partner
Your therapist is there for you during your scheduled appointments, but what about the moments in between when challenges arise? While not a substitute for crisis support, AI can be an excellent adjunct for structured problem-solving.
When you're facing a dilemma or trying to apply a therapeutic concept, you can use an AI chatbot such as Gemini or ChatGPT to:
Brainstorm Solutions: Describe a problem you're facing (e.g., "I need to have a difficult conversation with my boss"). You can ask the AI to help you brainstorm different approaches, potential outcomes, and ways to phrase your concerns.
Practice Reframing: Let's say you're working on cognitive distortions (thinking errors). You can input a negative thought like, "I messed up that entire project, and now everyone thinks I'm incompetent." The AI can help you challenge this by asking Socratic questions or suggesting alternative more balanced perspectives.
Refine Your Focus: By working through initial thoughts and scenarios with an AI between appointments, you can identify the core issues you really want to address. This helps you walk into your next session with greater clarity, ready to focus on the more salient points, and use your therapy time more effectively.
Consider this podcast (or read the transcript) from the APA to learn more about the pros and cons of AI Support: Speaking of Psychology: How AI companions change our human relationships? With Ashleigh Golden, PsyD, and Rachel Wood, PhD
The Always-Available Journal
Journaling is a time-honored tool for self-reflection and emotional processing. Even many greats throughout history journaled such as Teddy Roosevelt, Leonardo Davinci, Winston Churchill, Anne Frank, and Marie Curie.
However, sometimes the blank page can be intimidating, or you may simply want a more interactive experience. AI-powered chat programs offer a unique form of journaling. You can "talk" through your day, vent your frustrations, track your symptoms and behaviors, or explore your feelings in a conversational format. The key benefits of using technology include:
Constant Availability: Inspiration or the need to process doesn't always strike during business hours and your partner and friends may not want to hear your midnight ramblings. AI is available 24/7 and help guide you in the moment rather than having to hold it all in until your next appointment.
Non-Judgmental Space: It provides a psychologically safe space where you can be completely honest without fear of judgment. Once you've written your thoughts down, you may feel more comfortable talking them through with a therapist.
Guided Reflection: Many AI platforms can ask you gentle, probing questions to help you dig deeper into your thoughts and feelings, turning a simple vent into a productive reflection.
AI Journal Platforms: One AI platform I personally like is the Finch app, which offers self-care activities, mood tracking, and habit building, using AI to analyze user input and provide personalized insights. Plus it features a fun little bird that holds you accountable and acts as your personal cheerleader.
Disclaimer: AI is a Tool, NOT a Therapist
While the benefits are great, it is critically important to understand the limitations and potential dangers of using AI in mental health. Misusing these tools can be counterproductive and even harmful. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
AI Lacks True Empathy: An AI can be programmed to say empathetic things, but it does not feel empathy. As of right now, it can’t replicate the genuine human connection, intuition, and compassionate understanding that a trained therapist provides.
Consequences of Inaccurate or Harmful Advice: AI models are trained on vast amounts of data from the internet. They can make mistakes, "hallucinate" information that is fabricated, false, or inaccurate, or provide generic, unhelpful, or even dangerous advice, especially in a crisis situation. If you are in crisis, please contact the crisis hotline (988) or emergency services immediately. Do not rely on an AI.
Risk of Distorting Human Connection: An AI chatbot is designed to be perfectly agreeable, patient, and available 24/7. Relying on this for a sense of connection can create unrealistic expectations for real-life relationships. Over time, the "connection" with an AI could make your genuine relationships with friends, family, and partners feel more difficult or less satisfying, potentially leading to social isolation. Consider asking it questions to make sure it's giving you a more objective response.
Privacy and Confidentiality: When you talk to a human therapist, your conversation is protected by strict privacy laws like HIPAA. If you choose to use commercial AI for mental health help, your data may be used for training or other purposes, which doesn't guarantee you confidentiality. Make sure to find out how your data is collected and deleted.
It Cannot Diagnose or Treat: An AI cannot diagnose mental health conditions or create a comprehensive treatment plan. Self-diagnosing with the help of an AI can lead to misinformation and prevent you from receiving the appropriate professional care you need.
Too Much May Not Be A Good Thing: Over reliance may lead to lack of connection and in some people actually increase depression symptoms as one study found (JAMA Network Open, 2026). Like any technology, AI is only as effective as its application. While it excels at brainstorming and problem-solving, it can easily trigger confirmation bias—the tendency to favor information that reinforces your existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence. To avoid skewed decision-making, use AI as both an advisor and a devil’s advocate rather than a "yes man" that simply validates your current path.
It makes sense to be wary of new technology; the unknown can be intimidating, and it's hard to foresee all the outcomes. But on the flip side, we've all experienced how these changes can lead to incredible breakthroughs and positive shifts in our daily lives. Consider the television. This change, once strange and new, became a source of connection and knowledge. And then computers. They changed how we work, how we write, how we learn. And that deep change led to even more innovation. Think of the smartphone in your pocket or nearby. A way to connect with anyone on Earth, all in the palm of your hand. These change have reshaped our world in ways we are still discovering and so will AI.
Remember, technology can be valuable when used correctly. The most powerful vision for the future of mental health is not one of AI versus human therapists, but AI with human therapists. By leveraging these technologies as powerful assistants, you can amplify the incredible work you're already doing. They can help you stay organized, practice skills, and reflect more deeply.
Still unsure? Think of it this way: your therapist is the expert architect and builder of your treatment plan. AI is the advanced toolkit that helps you measure, cut, and assemble the pieces between your consultations. Used wisely and safely, it's a combination that can help you achieve your goals and build a stronger, healthier, and more resilient you. So, give your mental health the smart upgrade it deserves and promise me that you'll still talk to actual people. 😊
Feeling overwhelmed by the fast pace of change in technology, the world, or your own life? Check out my latest YouTube video: Rewire Your Brain for Change- Meditative Hypnosis to Welcome the Future: https://youtu.be/ap7r1Wc8bF4
Sources:
Using AI For Advice Or Other Personal Reasons Is Linked To Depression and Anxiety:, NBC News (2026) https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/ai-chatbots-personal-support-linked-depression-anxiety-study-rcna255036
Generative AI Use and Depressive Symptoms Among US Adults, JAMA Network Open (2026): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2844128
Leveraging AI to Support Student Mental Health and Well-Being (2024):
A Scoping Review of AI-Driven Digital Interventions in Mental Health Care: Mapping Applications Across Screening, Support, Monitoring, Prevention, and Clinical Education, National Library of Medicine (2025): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12110772/#:~:text=AI%20agents%20have%20demonstrated%20significantly,to%20various%20populations%20%5B51%5D.
Pressed for time or prefer to listen? This AI-generated audio summary is a perfect way to review key points on the go. It’s a glimpse into the future of learning—not perfect yet, but always improving.
