ChatGPT can be a helpful tool for basic emotional support when you need a quick response, but it is not a good long term substitute for professional therapy…even though Chat’s answers are sometimes surprisingly insightful. Let’s talk about the benefits of talking with ChatGPT and the problems and/or risks.
Benefits
If you experience an intense emotional situation and you don’t have someone to talk to and you aren’t currently set up with a therapist, turning to ChatGPT is always available at no cost. Because it’s so easy to access, you can quickly release your feelings which can relieve emotional distress.
Sometimes you may need a sounding board to talk through situations or decisions and ChatGPT can help you organize your thoughts and think through various perspectives. This may be all you need to get through what you are facing. And bots don’t judge you so it feels safe.
It’s also easy to get basic guidance and support by giving you information that you may need or helping you define something that you don’t have all the facts on. Similar to a Google search, ChatGPT can give you basic strategies and ideas for coping skills that you can use to address your problems.
Problems & Risks
One of the vital elements of what makes therapy so effective is the relationship that is built between a patient and a therapist, and ChatGPT cannot do this.
“Across the different therapeutic modalities, there is a consistent theme of being in a relationship with another person and making psychological contact.”
(Priestly, Stephanie. “Why Using ChatGPT as Therapy Is Dangerous.” Medium. April 7, 2023. https://medium.com/@stephanielouisepriestley/why-using-chatgpt-as-therapy-is-dangerous-e8e2f4678e7e)
The trust that is built and the connection that is formed is a basic human need that we all need. All therapists will tell you that the therapeutic interventions they make are some of the least important parts of therapy. It’s the connection between the therapist and client, the shift in facial expression the therapist recognizes, the experience of a therapist working with people’s internal worlds everyday that can pinpoint something AI cannot see.
Your therapist is a mirror, helping you to see what you can’t. Ai has information, it can reflect back the information you give it, which can be super helpful if you need to talk something out.
But you do have to ask it for alternative perspectives, otherwise, it will reflect back and validate only your experience, which is valuable, but doesn’t reliably create progress.
Another concern is the lack of privacy when sharing personal information. Anytime you share your info online you are taking a chance that it is not kept secure.
“HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) doesn’t apply to ChatGPT because it deals specifically with the electronic transmission of healthcare information related to insurance. ChatGPT has nothin’ to do with insurance, so it doesn’t apply.”
(Jancer, Matt. “Don’t Use ChatGPT as Your Therapist—Unless You Want Your Private Information Leaked.” Vice. July 30, 2025. https://www.vice.com/en/article/sam-altman-comments-chatgpt-therapy/)
So while it may be helpful and offer basic coping strategies and validation, ChatGPT is not equipped to support you in the way a human therapist with training and experience can,
It may be helpful between therapy sessions to help you think through things, problem solve or to vent your thoughts and emotions, but establishing a human connection with a trained professional is an investment that will pay dividends for a lifetime. For that to happen, find the right therapist. We wrote a blog about that here.
If you are ready to take the step to begin therapy and so that you can make a positive impact on your mental health, contact us, we are here to help.
