Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Psychological Counseling: A Narrative Review and Governance Framework.
The growing global demand for mental health services has created substantial gaps in access and service delivery due to limited workforce and resources. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a supportive technology in psychological counseling with the potential to enhance acce...
| Published in: | Inquiry (00469580) Vol. 63; pp. 1 - 17 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Sage Publications Inc.
3/31/2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=192697559&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 192697559 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00469580 INQ jtl: Inquiry (00469580) issn: 00469580 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: 3/31/2026 vid: 63 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. artinfo: ui: 192697559 10.1177/00469580261438322 ppf: 1 ppct: 16 formats: tig: atl: Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Psychological Counseling: A Narrative Review and Governance Framework. aug: au: Erdemir, Nuri Sumbas, Ezgi affil: İnönü University, Malatya, Turkey su: Health services accessibility Documentation Risk assessment Empathy Medical protocols Mental health services Professional practice Medical technology Professional ethics Artificial intelligence Health policy Medical care Clinical decision support systems Clinical governance Privacy Data security failures Responsibility Digital health Natural language processing Diagnostic errors Conceptual structures Informed consent (Medical law) Counseling Quality assurance Individualized medicine Therapeutic alliance Integrated health care delivery Labor supply Chatbots Algorithms Medical ethics sug: subj: Health services accessibility Documentation Risk assessment Empathy Medical protocols Mental health services Professional practice Medical technology Professional ethics Artificial intelligence Health policy Medical care Clinical decision support systems Clinical governance Privacy Data security failures Responsibility Digital health Natural language processing Diagnostic errors Conceptual structures Informed consent (Medical law) Counseling Quality assurance Individualized medicine Therapeutic alliance Integrated health care delivery Labor supply Chatbots Algorithms Medical ethics keyword: artificial intelligence clinical decision support systems ethics mental health services psychotherapy ab: The growing global demand for mental health services has created substantial gaps in access and service delivery due to limited workforce and resources. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a supportive technology in psychological counseling with the potential to enhance access and capacity. This narrative review critically examines the peer-reviewed literature on AI applications in psychological counseling and proposes an approach for responsible integration. A narrative review was conducted synthesizing recent peer-reviewed studies on AI-based tools relevant to psychological counseling (eg, chatbots, large language models, predictive analytics, and decision support systems). Evidence was thematically analyzed across opportunities, risks/limitations, and ethical–professional responsibilities, and used to inform a multi-layer governance framework for responsible use. The literature indicates that AI may improve accessibility, enable more personalized interventions, and support counselors in areas such as clinical decision-making, monitoring, and documentation. Key risks and limitations include limited empathic capacity, algorithmic bias, misleading outputs and potential misdiagnosis, data privacy and security breaches, and digital inequalities that may widen disparities. Ethical considerations emphasize strengthening informed consent, preserving the therapeutic alliance, maintaining transparency about AI use, and ensuring continuous human oversight. The proposed governance framework delineates roles, accountability, and safeguards at the clinical practice, organizational/health-system, and regulatory levels. AI should be positioned as a tool that complements—rather than replaces—human counselors in psychological counseling. Developing ethical guidelines, strengthening regulatory and institutional safeguards, and integrating AI literacy into counselor training are essential to ensure responsible, safe, and equitable implementation. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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