AI Counseling: Is It Better Than a Human Counselor?

OpenAI is becoming more and more commonly used everyday. Some use it to craft email responses, some to write papers, some to make their jobs easier, some even use it for companionship. While the idea of using AI as a companion may sound foreign to you, it is happening more than you may know. Some people even use AI as a form of therapy. 

As the uses of AI are growing, some professionals are wondering if it will begin to replace them in the near future. As AI is becoming more used as a companion and even therapist the concern around this is growing as well. 

How Can AI Be Used for Counseling? 

OpenAI ChatGPT can be used for a lot of things. You can ask questions about anything, including life advice. When this is done often enough it can begin to feel like you have your own virtual counselor. 

While you can ask AI questions you might ask a therapist and get responses that feel like something a therapist would say, this isn’t necessarily therapy. There are many benefits to therapy that a bot simply cannot provide. 

Honest Feedback is Essential in Therapy

There are so many therapeutic approaches out there, however, what research consistently shows us is that the most progress is made in counseling when you like your counselor. While OpenAI strives to agree with you and make you happy, this is done almost to one’s detriment. 

Let’s be real, I love when people agree with me, however, I also acknowledge that I’m not always right. It would be remarkably unhealthy to have a therapist that agreed with us at all times at all costs. This can enable a lot of unhealthy and potentially even dangerous behavior. 

A human therapist can provide you with honest feedback, a bot cannot. 

Human Counselors Pick Up on Subtext, A Bot Cannot

OpenAI ChatGPT can sound very human in its responses, especially when you use it often. This allows it to “learn” you and figure out what you are wanting it to do. While it can sound human in its responses, it is just an algorithm. It is quite literal and will respond to questions rather than paying attention to nuances and digging deeper. 

If someone tells their bot therapist that they had a very rough day and asks about tall bridges nearby, AI will provide information about bridge heights in the area. It’s unlikely to pick up on this dangerous line of questioning where a human counselor would likely do a risk assessment to ensure safety. 

This may sound like a dramatic example though unfortunately things like this have happened.  

Human Counselors can pick up on subtext and search for deeper meaning, a bot cannot. 

Finding a Real Counselor 

Carolina Counseling Services in Pittsboro, North Carolina contracts with real licensed therapists who can help you to see real results. There are so many wonderful things that a skilled therapist can help you do that a bot simply cannot. 

Find the therapist that is right for you with CCS. Providers are in network with most major insurances including Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) and many more. Click here to learn more about how you can schedule your first appointment.

Jaime Johnson Fitzpatrick LCMHCS, LCAS is one of the Owners and Vice Presidents of Carolina Counseling Services. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist in the State of North Carolina as well as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in State of New York. Jaime is also certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and utilizes various other approaches in her practice.