When Clients Turn to AI: Understanding the Rise of Chatbots and AI Mental Health Support

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

12:00 pm — 2:00 pm Pacific / 3:00 pm — 5:00 pm Eastern

This webinar satisfies requirements for live interactive CE credits for all professions.

DESCRIPTION:

AI chatbots, technically referred to as large language models, have been adopted faster than any technology in history, for reasons not hard to understand: they do not just provide information, they offer comfort. That is a powerful combination for people who are increasingly lonely, stressed, and mistrustful of others. Whether or not we consider ourselves technically inclined, AI is already part of our clients’ emotional lives.

This webinar is the first in a series of three that offers participants an orientation to where things stand: the social forces driving AI adoption, the specific technologies clients are using, and the multiple roles these technologies can play, including friend, lover, and therapist.

This training is designed for clinicians at every level of technical comfort, including those who have never interacted with a chatbot. Research regarding the potential therapeutic effectiveness of chatbots and how they compete with traditional therapy, will be reviewed. We will look at what AI tools can genuinely offer clients, as well as the risks that deserve our clinical attention. We’ll give particular care to vulnerable populations, including adolescents and clients with attachment challenges. Participants will leave with a clearer map of this new terrain and a solid foundation for webinars two and three.

Target audience: This course is appropriate for all mental health professionals

Content level: Introductory/Intermediate

Learning Objectives

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to

Describe two specific AI technologies that clients are using for emotional support.
Identify two therapeutic benefits and two risks of client AI use.
List three populations most vulnerable to the dangers of AI.

Webinar Outline

Why AI belongs on every therapist’s radar, whatever your comfort with technology
Social trends amplifying all things tech: declining rates of sex and in-person connection, rising distrust, and the increasing blurring of fantasy and reality
The technologies our clients are using: large language models, AI companions, and therapy-specific apps
Adoption rates and the appeal: constant availability, low cost, no perceived judgment, and the experience of feeling heard and cared for
What early research suggests: how chatbots compete with traditional therapy models
Benefits for clients, including reduction in loneliness and sexual exploration
Risks for clients, including increased loneliness, confidentiality, privacy limits, anthropomorphism, and AI psychosis
Vulnerable populations: adolescents, folks who are lonely, have attachment disorders, and those with significant emotional challenges
Looking ahead and discussion: how AI may shift our client populations, including more severe presentations, anxious attachment, and couples work

2 CE

credits