Claude Doesn’t Care.

AI is such a hot topic in our society right now. Whether it’s being used to create fake news or to plan your next family vacation, it feels like it is impossible to get away from it. Just last night, a family member of mine sent pictures in our family group chat of other family members dressed as royalty in insanely beautiful places... Unreal places, to be exact. And while that provided some silly entertainment, when it comes to business, I take a much more aggressive approach to AI. Before you feel judged for using ChatGPT to answer your most burning questions or Claude to plan your grocery list, know that what I’m talking about has nothing to do with your personal use of AI. I like to stay in my lane as much as possible so when I’m talking AI, I am speaking to the use of AI in therapy. And on that, I do have very strong opinions.

Studies have shown time and time again that the most important part of the therapeutic process is the therapeutic alliance (ie the relationship between the client and the therapist). If the relationship isn’t a trustworthy one, the therapist can use the absolute best therapeutic tools and the therapy probably wouldn’t work because at the end of the day, working therapy = relationship. I have found this to be true both in my work as a therapist and in my own therapy journey. There can be a perfect match on paper and if there isn’t a connection in the therapeutic space, then the therapy won’t work. (Therapy can be like friendship in this way - there’s a lot that goes into a friendship, but it does need some sort of personal connection to make it work).

While AI could probably tell me what tools to use for specific cases or what research is most up to date, it definitely cannot make the sort of connection with clients that’s needed for a working therapeutic relationship. I would also argue that it probably can’t teach me how to make that connection either. And in fact, it could potentially harm my relationship with clients if I’m relying on it to make therapeutic decisions for me. AI will never know my clients in the way that I do. And, further, I will never know my clients as well as they know themselves. 

ChatGPT hasn’t sat in the room with me when my client comes in heartbroken and we sit in their tears for the whole hour. 

Claude will never know what it’s like to watch a client get sober after years of addiction. 

Gemini could never celebrate with a client who overcomes intense Complex PTSD after a childhood of abuse. 

But, humanity, even in its many flaws, allows for all of this and more.

And this is where I often find myself in a Catch22 when I think about the field I have found myself in. In so many ways, my humanity is what serves my clients so well. And, in many other ways, it has gotten in the way of the therapeutic process. I have had to release clients who I know I can’t help because my humanity is limited even when they wanted desperately for me to help them. I have gotten distracted in session and had to ask clients to repeat what they just said. I have forgotten names of important people in my client’s lives and have had to own up to that. I have been fixated on how a client reminds me of a distant relative or an old friend. I have even frozen in sessions and felt completely overwhelmed, not knowing what tool to pull out of my toolbox next.

I have also had messy, real conversations with people who have only ever told me their deepest secrets. I have sat with someone as they have realized that they were abused as a child. I have watched clients heal from toxic relationships and then eventually find their person and get married. I have walked with the clients through their darkest days to see them eventually thriving. I have had the honor to be a sounding board for clients who are pursuing their dreams, working on complicated family dynamics, or simply finally addressing that anxiety that has been eating at them their whole lives. After some particularly heartbreaking elections and current events, I have even been able to say, “me too,” when clients express their fears for the future.

In short, therapy is only possible because of the therapist’s humanity. And, therapy will also never be a perfect process because of the therapist’s humanity. Both can be true.

However, based on my nearly decade in the field, and my fifteen years of experience in therapy myself, I can confidently say that what makes therapy worth it is its realness. Those pictures my sibling sent in our group chat may be silly and look really cool, but they’ll never be real. I would much rather look at pictures of my partner, son, and me all huddled up on the beach at our last family vacation, sand all over our bodies, and sunburned skin on display. Because that is real. And, just like that imperfect picture of my sweet family and me, therapy is made to be real. Not perfect, but real.

So no, Rooted will not be partaking in any AI tools that are supposed to “advance the field of therapy.” I take my clients' stories and my education way too seriously to attempt to train a bot to do my job. I am also way too committed to HIPAA to enter into any gray territory of utilizing AI to give me feedback on clients’ cases. At Rooted, your therapy definitely won’t be perfect, but it will be real.