11/11/2025
Language models like ChatGPT are increasingly capable of mimicking therapeutic dialogue. They can ask relevant questions, reflect emotional content, and even offer interpretations that resemble those used in clinical settings. These tools can be supportive in moments of distress or uncertainty. But we must be clear: this is not therapy.
Psychotherapy is not simply the exchange of insight, interpretation, or emotional vocabulary. It is a deeply human process grounded in the presence of another person; someone who is emotionally attuned, capable of tolerating ambiguity, and engaged in a sustained, evolving relationship with the patient. The therapist’s subjectivity, their capacity to respond to what is said and unsaid, and their willingness to sit with another’s suffering without retreat; these are the conditions in which change becomes possible.
AI can approximate technique. It cannot offer relationships.
“Know all the theories, master all the techniques, but as you touch a human soul, be just another human soul.” - Carl Jung
Language models like ChatGPT are increasingly capable of mimicking therapeutic dialogue. They can ask relevant questions, reflect emotional content, and even offer interpretations that resemble those used in clinical settings. These tools can be supportive in moments of distress or uncertainty. But we must be clear: this is not therapy.
Psychotherapy is not simply the exchange of insight, interpretation, or emotional vocabulary. It is a deeply human process grounded in the presence of another person—someone who is emotionally attuned, capable of tolerating ambiguity, and engaged in a sustained, evolving relationship with the patient. The therapist’s subjectivity, their capacity to respond to what is said and unsaid, and their willingness to sit with another’s suffering without retreat—these are the conditions in which change becomes possible.
AI can approximate technique. It cannot offer relationships.
“Know all the theories, master all the techniques, but as you touch a human soul, be just another human soul.”
— Carl Jung
