Comparing Human and AI Therapists in Behavioral Activation for Depression: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study Background: Large Language Models (LLMs) have rapidly advanced across numerous fields, including mental health care. A shortage of trained therapists and mental health care providers has driven informal use of LLMs for therapeutic support. However, their clinical utility remains poorly defined. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the capabilities and limitations of LLMs in single-turn therapeutic interactions compared to psychotherapists-in-training. Objective: To systematically evaluate and compare the therapeutic knowledge and single-turn response capabilities of LLMs versus psychotherapists-in-training in the context of Behavioral Activation therapy for depression, and to assess how both groups' performance changes when provided with structured therapeutic training materials. Methods: Participants (n=6 LLMs, n=8 human) completed a questionnaire on depression and Behavioral Activation (BA) with 20 multiple choice items, and 10 therapy scenarios with 3 open-ended items each that postulated empathic response, use of validation strategies, and Theory of Mind capabilities. Human participants completed the questionnaire prior and post to a 5-hour workshop and five-week period with learning material. LLMs received identical training content as context during the second test. All open-ended questions were rated on 5-point scales by two experts. Results: At baseline, LLMs demonstrated higher knowledge scores than human participants (61.0 vs. 52.0 out of 100 points) and were rated higher in empathy (U=2.0, p=.005, r=.917), validation quality (U=2.5, p=.006, r=.896), anticipation of cognition (U=0.0, p=.002, r=1.000), and anticipation of emotion (U=0.0, p=.002, r=1.000). Following BA training, LLMs maintained their performance advantage across multiple choice and open-ended items. Conclusions: The results suggest that LLMs may generate high-quality therapeutic single-turn responses that integrate clinical knowledge with empathetic communication. The findings hint at LLMs' potential as valuable tools in mental health care, though further clinical trials are needed to evaluate their performance in ongoing therapeutic relationships and clinical outcomes.

JMIR Formative Res: Comparing Human and AI Therapists in Behavioral Activation for Depression: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study #MentalHealth #AIinTherapy #BehavioralActivation #TherapistTraining #DepressionSupport

#NASW-FL backs House Bill prohibiting unregulated AI use in therapy.
AI can’t replace empathy or ethical judgment. Clients deserve care guided by licensed professionals—not algorithms
#SocialWork #EthicalAI #MentalHealth #TherapyEthics #AIinTherapy
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Advisory Committee Discusses AI Guidelines and Continuing Education Needs in Mental Health Committee reviews survey responses on practice issues and prepares for AI guidelines discussion.

The Kansas Marriage and Family Therapy Advisory Committee is urging the creation of urgent AI guidelines in therapy, as ethical concerns about chatbots and client confidentiality reach a boiling point.

Read the full story.

#KS #CitizenPortal #KansasMentalHealth #AIInTherapy #EthicalPractices

Kansas Advisory Committee Considers Telehealth Supervision and AI Discussion for Next Meeting Committee discusses telehealth supervision benefits and prepares for future AI regulations.

The Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board is poised to redefine therapy supervision by embracing telehealth and exploring the future impact of AI in their upcoming meeting.

Learn more here!

#KS #CitizenPortal #KansasTherapy #AIInTherapy #TelehealthSupervision #MentalHealthAccess

“Who Profits From Your Breakdown?” “Healing has become a subscription service.”

open.substack.com/pub/austinsi...

#MentalHealth #WellnessIndustry #BetterHelp #WorkplaceBurnout #TherapyApps #CorporateWellness #SelfHelp #AIinTherapy #MentalHealthExploitation

So tell me:
Where do you stand on this?

Are you hopeful? Hesitant? Somewhere in the messy middle?

Let’s keep the convo going. 👇
#AIinTherapy #MentalHealthTech #Therabot #BlueskyMentalHealth #womeninAIandMentalHealth

🤖 The Future of Therapy: How AI is Changing Mental Health Support
🧠 Read: timeacoaching.blog/2025/05/10/t...

#MentalHealthTech #AIinTherapy #EmotionalSupport

Can AI Be Your Therapist? What the Latest Research Reveals About ChatGPT and Mental Health Can AI be your therapist? With ChatGPT outperforming human professionals in key therapy factors like empathy and cultural competence, this…

AI in therapy: A step forward or a step too far? 🤔

🧠 Read more: medium.com/@alifromaith...

#MentalHealth #AI #Therapy #WellnessTech #AIinTherapy

Locked Up Living Nora Stern;(audio) AI as a… https://lockeduplivi @lockedupliving #MentalHealth #Therapy #ArtificialIntelligence #AIinTherapy #TherapistSupport

AI in relationship counselling: Evaluating ChatGPT's therapeutic capabilities in providing relationship advice Recent advancements in AI have led to chatbots, such as ChatGPT, capable of providing therapeutic responses. Early research evaluating chatbots' abili…

ChatGPT as a relationship therapist? A recent study shows it provides empathy, clarity, & actionable steps but struggles with personalization & safety. Could AI fill therapy gaps? 🤔 Let's talk about the pros & cons! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Nora Stern;(audio) AI as a Therapeutic Ally: Enhancing the Therapist-Client Relationship In this enlightening episode, David and Naomi engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Nora Stern, co founder of Affinity AI. They delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence can enhance therapeutic practices, discussing the potential…

Locked Up Living Nora Stern;(audio) AI as a Therapeutic Ally: Enhancing the Therapist-Client Relationship @lockedupliving #MentalHealth #ArtificialIntelligence #Therapy #AIinTherapy #Psychology

Why Artificial Intelligence Will Never Fully Replace Human Therapists Despite Its Advancement

bytefeed.ai/technology/why-artificia...

#TechAndTherapists #MentalHealth #AIinTherapy