Your Privacy Matters:
AI and Therapy
Welcome to my AI and Therapy page.
AI is a hot topic right now in our world. I want you to know that I prioritize my clients’ privacy and confidentiality. I think this is an important part of choosing the right therapist for you in 2025.
AI companies are advertising to therapists on the principle that using AI for their documentation will save the therapists substantial amounts of time in which they can see more clients and thereby significantly increase their income. My professional ethos, however, is that I’m committed to your privacy and security, and I’ve chosen not to compromise that to be able to take on more clients. Instead of exposing your private details and thoughts to profit-driven companies, I have chosen not to maximize my potential income in this way. I’m mindful that information in the hands of any third-party is beyond our complete control.
Perhaps an anomoly within the therapeutic world, I do not even store therapy notes on a remote cloud or third-party site. It goes then to say that my remote sessions are held on a secure platform that is never recorded by me to utilize AI therapy programs. I commit to not using artificial intelligence (AI) in any aspect of my business.
You may understandably be unfamiliar with the specifics of this field, so let me explain how AI is being used in the field of therapy.
AI Therapist Assistant
Did you know that AI companies are marketing their services to therapists? They are. And are doing so quite aggressively in my experience. They advertise this as a shortcut for the therapist’s documentation. These services accommodate both virtual and in-person sessions through recording of the session. These services state that they are HIPAA compliant, however, there are caveats in their terms and conditions.
Online databases are not impervious to being hacked. Their terms of service specify that they cannot keep their databases secure and that they may share your data with third parties. Many of these services do not let you or your therapist opt out of the tracking they engage in. The terms of service often require the recorded data to be fed back into the AI.
Service fees for therapist to use these AI note writing programs are either free or are absurdly low to therapists, However, it is at the cost of your data, which to me is beyond a price tag. I am an advocate for my clients and want you to be eyes whide open that AI for therapy notes is a mechanism for which the AI company to further their product - being marketed to therapists as a way for therapists to make higher incomes. The data collection of these companies seems to indicate one of their end goals is likely to collect client-therapist content and dialogue as the foundation for future AI therapist chatbots.
AI Chat Therapists
The use of AI is permeating therapy in another key way that I want to make you aware of: the use of AI chatbots. AI Chatbots are categorized as “wellness” not “healthcare” which means they are not held to HIPAA requirements. They don’t claim to diagnose or treat conditions which means they are not regulated by the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) or enforced by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR).
Similar to AI Therapist Assistants, the information these chat therapists gain is fed back into the AI database without any privacy protection or accountability for the results of the AI Chat Therapist. Humans who seek help through these AI Therapist Chat platforms are in the hands of companies seeking profit without the extensive training of actual therapists.