Would you like to talk to an AI therapist? There are an increasing number of chatbots and other AI tools which are beginning to be used to augment, or even in some cases, replace, talk therapy.
In the UK, the NHS has begun integrating AI tools into their mental health services. NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) fast-tracked approval for several AI-based mental health apps in 2023, though most are recommended only when used alongside a human therapist.
In a world that is increasingly moving towards the virtual space, AI is rapidly learning the information and skills to interact in a nuanced way with humans. So, it might seem to make sense to utilise this new technology to meet the needs of the growing numbers of people facing mental health issues.
Benefits of AI therapy
- Affordability and efficiency – AI therapy is always going to be much cheaper and more affordable than a skilled, experienced and trained human therapist. This has the potential to make therapy available for many more people.
AI can also easily take care of the more mundane aspects of mental health therapy such as admin, triage and tracking a person’s trends over time, thus freeing up human therapists for more 1:1 time with patients or clients. - Non-judgmental – a computer program is not able to judge you for your feelings, your experiences, or your behaviour. People may therefore feel safe to speak in a more vulnerable way with an AI therapist. (However, any good therapist should also not be judging you for anything.)
- Confidential –you can be sure that your AI therapist will not be talking about you and your problems to others. However, there is still the risk of hacking and data breaches. (Likewise, it is a legal requirement for therapists of most kinds to keep your data and personal details confidential.)
- Accessible – people living in remote areas or who cannot leave the house due to chronic illness can easily access an AI therapist. Therapy can be accessible at any time of day and any day of the week, including public holidays. (There are also an increasing number of therapists of all kinds who work online.)
- Effective – AI talk therapy has shown moderate effectiveness, especially in increasing access to mental health support and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression—though it still falls short of the emotional depth offered by human therapists.
A 2025 randomized controlled trial published in BMC Psychology[1] evaluated the AI chatbot “Friend” in crisis settings. Among 104 women with anxiety disorders, those using the chatbot saw a 30–35% reduction in anxiety, compared to 45–50% in the group receiving traditional therapy. While human-led therapy was more effective overall, the chatbot proved valuable in crisis zones where therapists weren’t available.
A broader review published in SAGE Journals analysed 28 studies and found that AI-powered interventions—especially chatbots and internet-based cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT)—can effectively reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, the review emphasized the need for ethical integration, particularly around privacy and trust.[2]
[1] https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-025-02491-9
[2] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/02537176241260819
Benefits of a Human Therapist
- We care – As your EFT practitioner, I care deeply about you. There is nothing that can replace having a fellow human being hear your story and care about you. I value you and respect you as a soul on this earth. AI technology does not care about you – it has no emotions at all.
- Co-regulation – When two humans connect, even if over the internet or a phone call, their hearts begin to come into a coherent pattern[1]. This is extremely healing. As your EFT practitioner, if my own heart is in a coherent state (calm and with high HRV), it will easily co-regulate yours, as the body wants to be in balance.[2]
- Intuition – It is hard to imagine an AI program in the near future that could replicate human intuition. Rather than relying on conscious reasoning, intuition taps into patterns your brain has subconsciously picked up over time through experience, memory, and emotional cues. It has a different quality from the logical brain that AI is based on. AI can rely on vast quantities of data and analyse patterns very rapidly, but it lacks the “gut instinct” or heart-based feeling that contributes to intuition.
As an experienced EFT practitioner I rely heavily on my intuition to guide a session. Intuition helps me to follow the energetic thread of a client’s words, and to pick out what is important and relevant to tap on with the client. Intuition helps me offer reframes that “land” well with any particular client which can speed up the healing process and offer relief. Often a word or phrase comes to me without my conscious awareness, which turns out to be exactly what is most meaningful for the client. - Compassion and suffering – AI hasn’t suffered. It cannot empathise, nor can it understand a human being. Part of the power of working with a human therapist is the feeling that you are heard, understood and empathised with by a fellow human being. Only someone who has suffered can hold another person’s suffering without judgment or pity, but with love and compassion. I may or may not have suffered similar experiences that you have in your life, but my own personal suffering allows me to hold yours without trying to “fix you”. You don’t have to apologise to me for your suffering, or minimise it to protect me from becoming upset. I get it. I understand you.
This is similar, on a much smaller scale, to the comfort many find in the story of Jesus, or the Buddhist tradition of Bodhisattvas. Those who have suffered deeply can hold and transform the suffering of others through the heart-led energies of empathy and compassion.
Many people who have suffered complex trauma have a history of not being believed, being “gaslit” and having their experiences unvalued and changed. AI can neither believe nor disbelieve you. These people can start to heal by having their story heard and believed by another human being.
[1] McCraty, R., & Childre, D. (2010). “Interpersonal Physiological Coherence and the Impact on Social Interaction.” Psychophysiology, 47(3), 452–463. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2009.00975.x
[2] Thayer, J. F., & Lane, R. D. (2009). “The Role of Heart Rate Variability in Social Synchrony and Co-regulation.” Biological Psychology, 82(1), 98–108. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.02.007
Where do we go from here?
It seems there may be a place for AI in the therapy world – it has been shown to be moderately effective and to assist human therapists with some tasks. For someone needing help and unable to get access to a human therapist, it could make a big difference to talk to a chatbot.
However, I am a big believer in the healing power of the real world, real human interactions, and an energetic connection with an authentic human being that can feel, understand, and empathise. I hope there are many of us that agree!
