To think ChatGPT et al will put lots of counsellors and therapists out of business

Human connection also depends on the human. The therapeutic relationship can be extremely beneficial but can also be harmful. A distracted or unboundaried therapist can cause a lot of harm to a client. Counselling isn't a protected title - anyone can do a counselling course and start charging to help people - I'd rather trust ChatGPT than a random counsellor from the internet. Personal bias, personality clashes, personal issues all impact the client/helper relationship. A human connection isn't uniformly positive.

Oh, it was a joke?

Can it "make" you act on its advice/make changes in the way, I'm assuming, a human being you had to look in the eye might?

I agree. I've not used it for any ingrained trauma, but two difficult issues and I was really surprised at how insightful it was.

You can’t possible claim that you can ‘resolve trauma in three sessions’. That’s ridiculous. Do you massively prescreen your clients or something? Can you tell us what your occupation is. Unfortunately there are plenty of untrained and unqualified ‘therapists’ among all the decent ones. A psychiatrist would never make a claim like that.

Unless you’ve met every therapist that exists and they’ve told you they’ve never cared about any of their clients, you don’t know what you’re talking about.

i have no problem connecting with people. trust me i am usually the go to friend if people have issues and i love being there for others.

Maybe you didn’t get much out of face-to-face therapy because you weren’t ready to connect with another human. Maybe AI is the first step, then therapist, and then other people in your social circle.

true but i don’t think a therapist cares that much more either. you are a client at the end of the day. this is coming from someone that went to therapy for one year before it was explained to me that the period they can keep me as a client was up even though the issue was not resolved. i did have two more sessions with a different lady for a separate issue but at the end of the day i know i am a client. lovely as she is

It's not a claim.

Might reduce demand but I think human connection is very important for mental health. Don't really feel like a computer cares about you, do you?

Very true. Besides, a therapist doesn't really care about you. They don't even know you. You're just a paying customer. They see so many tears, and hear so many sad stories (many of them the same), that in the end they must become pretty numb. I remember being so irritated by the fake compassion and fake empathy of my therapist – you know, the nodding and eye contact and sad face.

i fully understand that. i guess i am lucky that over the time i have used mine i am at a stage where i completely trust mine

Maybe. But in my experience, I needed the person centred approach, still do. I need a person who I’ve built trust with, to empathise with me. My biggest issue from complex trauma was and remains shame, the only thing that has shifted it is through a trusted relationship. My therapists have been amazing. I wouldn’t want anything else but that in person real care and compassionate therapeutic relationship

That is a very big claim to make @Eyesopenwideawake and demonstrates the problem with many therapists in private sector.

also i had to agree to disagree with mine one once

you can ask it how it might be perceived from a outside person or by the other person. if people don’t do that the problem is kind of on them

It's supportive and non judgemental, which is good. But as a PP said, it agrees with everything you say, which is very dangerous. Use it with care.

can i ask why?

Absolutely hate ChatGPT and general AI

i think like a lot of professions chat gpt is able to replace some low level work for some therapists. same with a lot of admin work.

i recently had to ask some straight forward questions in regards to inheritance etc. i did ring up a solicitor who basically said the same thing my chat gpt did but cost me 100 pounds for a video call consultation.

No I went through all those questions obediently.
Thanks for calling me ignorant though, denigrating my experience and moving the goal posts.
. I have been on MN for years and am used to having reasonable debate with a side dose of cynical humour.
I am leaving this now as there is a certain narrow minded viciousness developing.
I was hoping to have a decent conversation about the limits and benefits of this technology.

I tried it first time last week to see if it could explain a feeling that I've been experiencing for years. It was actually difficult for me to phrase my question, so I wasnt sure if it would understand. Blow me down, it got it straight away and the answers it gave really made sense.

I don't know if it'll take over, but I can see why you're pleased with your outcome.

My cousin has left his career as a psychologist.

Isn't the point of a therapist to pick up on what you don't realise and tell you things you don't want to hear?

My therapist gently told me some language I use about myself and others that wasn't helpful - stuff I've picked up from childhood.

She's told me to get off the news and listen to less podcasts. Really practical stuff rather than a load of general waffle.

I've said this on another similar thread, but I am a therapist, and I see my own therapist, and I also use chatgpt ""as a therapist". I think chatgpt can be brilliant as an ad hoc, validating, level-headed and "empathic" sounding board, but it's definitely not the same as being actually in the room with someone, or even having a video session.

There's zero "risk" - I have no fear that chatgpt will judge me, for example. The human presence that my therapist has offered me is utterly unique and precious to me. Therapy has often felt uncomfortable, exposing, and sometimes even angering in a way that has ultimately been profoundly life changing to me. I know without a shadow of doubt that chatgpt could never offer a similar experience to being seen/heard by a wise human.

That said I'm so glad that people have access to the free and immediately available "therapy" that chatgpt offers. We can all benefit from a bit of talking and "listening", and generally sound advice.