"Therapy is already changing. The change will only accelerate, faster than many of us can adjust. This is partly because of artificial intelligence (AI), but also because the mental health system hasn't scaled. It has forced people to seek care in new ways, and one of those avenues is AI. Mental health practitioners need to meet all of this with intention. Change is inevitable, and it makes sense for us to have a say in how this change occurs."
"We're facing a massive mismatch between demand and supply: Waitlists for therapy are months long. Costs are rising beyond reach. Many areas of the country have severe provider shortages. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2023) found that about 23 percent (almost 60 million) of people struggle with mental health difficulties, though only about half get support. This leaves almost 30 million people without the mental health support they need."
Therapy is shifting rapidly due to artificial intelligence and persistent capacity limits in the mental health system. Demand far exceeds supply, producing long waitlists, rising costs, and severe geographic provider shortages that leave many millions without care. The United States lacks sufficient psychiatrists and many clinicians report being unable to meet treatment demand. People are turning to AI as a 24/7, judgment-free tool that can partially support needs when licensed professionals are unavailable. The evolving ecosystem emphasizes client empowerment, reduced administrative burden for clinicians, and greater transparency, with AI augmenting rather than replacing human therapists.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]