🧠 Healing Needs a Human Touch: The Risks of Relying on AI for Therapy

 It’s 2025, and you can order groceries, book a vacation, and even get "therapy" — all without speaking to a real person. For many of us, this is fantastic! I know I’m not a huge fan of making phone calls and it’s so much easier to book an appointment with someone online, or order office supplies with a few clicks on my phone.

But when it comes to your health, especially mental health should convenience really come before connection?

I’m going to explore some of the hidden dangers of relying on AI for therapy — and why human connection remains irreplaceable.

The Hidden Dangers of Using AI for Therapy

At first glance, AI-driven therapy tools can seem magical. Therapist on vacation, is it late at night? These are some of the benefits of using AI therapy. The bots never get tired (they are all after, robots), and they’re often free or low-cost.
But behind the convenience, serious risks hide in plain sight — risks that can affect your emotional well-being and the quality of your healing journey.

AI Lacks True Emotional Understanding

Therapy is not just about offering advice or coping tips. One of the first things I say to new clients is that it’s not my job to give you advice. Friends are great at giving advice (for the most part anyways). Ask Google, AI about coping skills for managing depression and anxiety. Read a self-help book. However, if these things worked, they would work in the long run!

So if therapy isn’t about advice and coping skills, what is it for? It’s about feeling seen, heard, and deeply understood — by another human being who can hold space for your full experience.
No matter how advanced an algorithm is, it cannot genuinely empathize with your story, your grief, or your triumphs. Therapists are trained to hold space. We experience the same emotions that you do. AI just can’t replicate that.  A robot can’t emulate connection and empathy.

AI can mirror your words.
A therapist mirrors your heart.

Data Privacy Issues in AI Mental Health Apps

Oooh boy… this is a big one. I’ll also be writing more about the dangers of using various platforms for therapy in the future. But for now, when you open up about your innermost struggles to a human therapist, confidentiality is protected by strict ethical and legal guidelines.
When you share with a chatbot, your data might be stored, analyzed, or even sold — often without you realizing it. Again, I plan to write another post on this, but really think about all the medical professionals using AI to document in their charts. Where is this information going? Where is it being stored? I strongly advise everyone (I know, I’m not supposed to give advice but I’m making an exception here) to think about giving consent for your medical professionals to use any form of AI to document in your chart.

Mental health deserves the utmost protection.
Unfortunately, not all AI platforms are built with that same level of care.

Lack of Personalized, Adaptive Care

Real therapy evolves with you.
A trained therapist notices your non-verbal cues, your silences, your breakthroughs — even when you don’t put them into words. Most of our communication is non-verbal and therapists are trained to pay attention to what you’re not saying.
AI, on the other hand, can only respond to what you type or say explicitly.

This leads to a shallow, one-size-fits-all interaction instead of a deep, evolving relationship. You deserve more than “one size fits all” types of therapy. Often the actual relationship between you and your therapist is one of the most healing aspects of your journey.

Healing isn’t linear.
Neither is good therapy.

Ethical and Crisis Concerns

Imagine someone expressing suicidal thoughts to an AI program that doesn’t know how to assess true risk or intervene safely. This is especially true from a trauma-informed approach. It is imperative that a trained therapist treat these situations with nuance. While some platforms include emergency resources, nothing replaces a trained human who can catch warning signs early and provide immediate, sensitive support.

Mental health is delicate work — it and you deserve trained, ethical hands.

Why Human Connection Matters in Therapy

At its core, therapy is about trust, relationship, and emotional safety.
It’s a sacred space where healing happens not just because of what is said and not said, but because of who is saying it — a real, compassionate, empathetic and trained professional.

Technology can enhance mental health care.
But it can never replace the irreplaceable: authentic, human connection.

Final Thoughts: Choose Healing, Not Just Convenience

AI will continue to evolve, and it will surely help many people in new ways.
But when it comes to deep emotional healing, nothing beats the presence of another human who can sit with you — heart to heart, not screen to screen.

💬 Healing deserves a human connection — not just an algorithm. If you’re curious about what real therapy can feel like, I’d love to connect with you. Click here to reach out!