Can ChatGPT provide therapy?
Let’s not bury the lead, it really depends on what you need
AI is here. It listens, learns, responds — and in moments of stress, it may even feel like it understands. For many wellness seekers, tools like ChatGPT offer immediate support, reflection, and even a sense of relief.
But as these technologies become more integrated into our emotional lives, a deeper question arises: Can a tool truly witness us?
What this tool can do for you (*and what it cannot)
AI tools have a plethora of benefits when it comes to mental health support:
They can offer psychoeducation that helps name and normalize your experiences
They can encourage reflection through prompts and pattern tracking
They can provide a sense of containment during moments when human support isn’t available
But what they lack (currently), is the ability to attune.
Attunement is the subtle, relational dance between two individuals. It’s how we feel those sensations of understanding and empathy. It can show up in how we pick up the tone beneath the words spoken, the hesitation in our breath, even the grief that our silence might hold. It’s the pause, the eye contact, the presence that communicates: I see you. You matter here.
Why does attunement matter?
Perspective is valuable here, and as a therapist who supports clients on their journeys to reclaim elements of their life that trauma took away — attunement is a necessary ingredient in the therapeutic experience.
I recognize healing showing up within the context of relationships that I cultivate with my clients. While self reflection and psychoeducation are valuable, they cannot replace the transformative power of a safe, attuned connection. I see attunement as essential to healing beyond trauma because:
It enables co-regulation
Co-regulation is the process by which our nervous system settles and calms through connection with another human. Being in the presence of someone who is grounded and emotionally present can help us return to a state of balance and safety.
It fosters secure attachment
Secure attachment is the sense of emotional trust that forms when we consistently experience care, responsiveness, and emotional safety in relationships — its supports us in believing that we are worthy of love and that others can in fact be reliable sources of support.
It is the foundation of post traumatic growth
Post traumatic growth is the process by which individuals not only recover from trauma, but develop greater resilience, meaning, and emotional depth. This growth emerges in the context of connection with others who can hold our experience with compassion and presence.
Off The Page: Actioning The Insights
Using AI as a supportive companion, not a replacement
Integrating AI as a tool, not a therapist
As a therapist, I see AI tools like ChatGPT as helpful supports when used intentionally. They can offer insight — but they are not a substitute for therapy. True emotional healing, especially after trauma, requires the attunement and connection only human relationship can provide (for now, who knows where the future is headed 😂)
With that in mind, here are a few ways to engage with AI as a complement to your wellness journey and not a replacement:
Use AI for insight
AI tools are great at explaining psychological concepts, and therapeutic frameworks in accessible language. This can empower you with knowledge between sessions and even fuel greater intentional questions to support self reflection and discovery.
Creating Rituals for Reflection
You can use AI to generate daily check-in questions or mood reflections to build greater awareness over time and your reflections can be used to dig deeper in therapy.
You can use AI to generate a self care calendar for you to track your wellness goals on a recurring basis
Access a non judgmental space to share your thoughts
AI tools can act like journals for you to validate your experiences in your own words
Remember: This is a space to express your feelings and give language to your experience. While AI can respond based on algorithmic patterns, it cannot personalize its support or attune to the subtle emotional cues that are often essential in meaningful emotional care.
Thank You
Thank you for joining me this week! I’m excited to keep sharing insights from my work, research, and personal journey with you.
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