Chat GPT is everywhere – increasingly Gen Z and Alpha are using it for personal problems and to gain quick advice about resolving anxiety and depression . It is a phenomenal tool , powerful and quick but as yet it cannot “do empathy”
It can approximate empathy well with it’s large language model learning capacity. But I think what we need more of is – personal depth empathy and attunement , not more screen based interactions. We train in sitting opposite clients and really tuning in to the feel of being opposite them . In essence everyone is attuned to be with other humans and pick up feelings /emotions but that old adage use it or lose it is starting to apply . Clients now report that therapy is the only time they get undivided attention for more than a handful of minutes .
For this reason I think therapy will not be replaced easily by AI tools – but its important for therapists to understand the impact of AI.