Can Generative AI Be Your Therapist?  Why Human Connection is Essential for Lasting Change

In talking to other therapists and those in the helping field there seems to be some anecdotal evidence that AI is taking a good bit of the market share of our industry. This collective sense that things are changing is strengthened by a 2025 Harvard Business Review Article that showed that the number one use of Generative AI in 2025 was for “Therapy and Companionship”. This move of “AI therapy” to the number one spot came after being the number two spot in 2024. But, can generative AI truly deliver effective therapy?

The Core Missing Ingredient in AI Counseling: Embodied Human Experience

AI does seem well positioned to help give answers to how to overcome obstacles, achieve goals, and “hack” life. Yet, its answers lack something essential for real, lasting change to occur, which is human experience. The most profound benefit of therapy lies in the relationship between the therapist and the client. For us to grow as a human, we need another human to help us. The physical presence of a therapist— a nod, a smile, a pained look, and even shared silence — can convey empathy and understanding in a way that transcends words. When another human provides a listening ear, embodied understanding, and guides without judgment it creates a genuine human connection and fosters genuine safety and trust instead of a simulation of these experiences. Being texted an answer by an algorithm falls painfully short of this deeply transformative human encounter. Therapy with a person versus AI answers is like the difference between riding a bike on a fall day and being told about what it is like to ride a bike by someone who read a bunch of books on the topic. Which experience would you rather have? 

The Danger of Regurgitated Facts: AI’s Knowledge Lacks Diagnostic Wisdom

Many are asking if AI can take away the therapist’s jobs because it knows so much. The problem is that its knowledge is only that — an amalgamation of regurgitated facts. It can lose many of the nuances of a user’s experience and presentation that are needed for a proper diagnosis. AI is set up to make the user want to use AI more. In fact, in attempting to be the amiable assistant, it has affirmed users’ delusions and even encouraged some to kill themselves. A good therapist validates their clients, but they will also kindly challenge them when their cognitive distortions are getting in the way of their progress or when their avoidance of their pain is holding them back. In the end, AI lacks the wisdom of a human who has both lived their own life and has a career of diagnosing and helping real people to fully understand and assist a person to heal and grow. 

Why a Human Therapist Offers Resilience and Real, Lasting Change

While therapists are not perfect beings; they are fellow travelers who have walked the path of self-discovery and growth themselves. Their unique experience and personalities often help them provide guidance and perspective that are nuanced and relatable. This relationship can inspire hope and the courage to face challenges, fostering resilience and self-awareness. At The Phoenix Counseling Collective, we are committed to the work of sitting across from our clients and providing a genuine human experience because we know that this is what brings lasting change and healing.