Five years ago, if someone had spoken of AI, we may have assumed they were referring to the initials of a friend or an organisation. Now we know they are referencing artificial intelligence, ‘the application of mathematics and software code to teach computers how to understand, synthesize, and generate knowledge in ways similar to how people do it.’ Marc Andreessen (2023). AI has touched our lives in every domain including therapy and generates powerful views. Some speak of it as a transformative force to augment human intelligence making possible the ‘creation of new medicines to ways to solve climate change to technologies to reach the stars – much, much better from here.’ Others warn of its dangers with former Anthropic safety chief Mrinank Sharma warning the ‘world is in peril’ while Anthropic’s Dario Amodei have estimated extinction risk at 10%-25%
What Does AI Mean for Mental Health Practitioners
AI is increasingly entering the mental health domain with technologies including ‘conversational chatbots, automated documentation systems, predictive algorithms, clinical decision support systems, and AI‐assisted treatment planning platforms.’ While some argue that these tools can reduce practitioner burnout, enhance access to care and improve service delivery others express reservations about its impact on relational dynamics that are the foundation of systemic practice. However, while practitioners are using these technologies, little is known of their perspective about the integration of these into the therapeutic process.
Exploring Practitioner’s Perspective
A study by Marin et al 2026 explored practicing mental health clinicians ‘familiarity with AI, comfort levels regarding clinical integration, perceived benefits and risks, ethical concerns, and readiness for future implementation.’ A focus on themes relevant to systemic practice included ‘therapeutic alliance, relational authenticity, professional identity, and ethical responsibility.’ Eighty-nine practitioners participated in a survey that collected both qualitative and quantitative data.
What Did They Say?
A consistent pattern of ‘conditional acceptance’ rather than ‘broad enthusiasm or resistance’ was identified. The practical value of these tools was endorsed when seen to enhance rather than replace their work, but concern was expressed in relation to confidentiality, clinical judgement, and therapeutic relationship. Preservation of the core ethical and relational features of systemic therapy was considered essential.
What Are the Implications?
The authors identify training, practice, and supervision consequences of these findings. They recommend a ‘staged and clinically bounded approach’ to the introduction with a combination of technical knowledge and applied ethical decision making. Supervision to explore whether a tool enhances or detracts from clinical judgement, its impact on therapeutic relationship and its use to support rather than replace professional judgement is also important. For those who adopt AI tools training needs to be ongoing to keep pace with the evolving technology.
Additional Suggestions for Systemic Therapists?
These findings direct attention to the need to approach AI ‘as a relational and systemic issue rather than solely as a technical innovation.’ Practitioners should be able to assess the impact of an AI tool on multiple members of a system, how it incorporates competing views, the inclusion of cultural and contextual information and its impact on the therapeutic relationship.
In Conclusion
The authors summarise the results saying, ‘technological competence and therapeutic competence are not interchangeable’ and should not be viewed as such. AI tools have entered the therapy room, and it is our task to assess, evaluate and incorporate those that enhance our work and rigorously defend other aspects of the process best managed by humans.
Marin, M. Marcel Montanez, M. Vaillancourt, K. 2026 Human Touch vs. Tech Talk: Mental Health Clinicians’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence in Systemic Practice Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2026; 52: e70172 https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.70172
Marc Andreessen Why AI Will Save the World Posted June 6, 2023
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