An AI policy acts as a container to house the benefits and risks of AI in your practice.

Upholding ethical practices in mental health entails ongoing informed consent with clients. If AI is being used (formally or informally), professional bodies such as APA, ACA, NASW recommend transparency of usage. 

Many all-in-one therapy platforms are offering AI tools such as session transcription and note summarization. These tools offer the benefit of lessened administrative load on clinicians, while simultaneously introducing the potential of AI hallucinations or algorithmic bias and discrimination. Clinicians can ethically and confidently use these tools once a policy is in place to educate and detail the potential risks.

These are only a few of the reasons why every practice needs an AI policy in place. Please reach out for more information.

An AI policy is crafted with your practice's specific needs in mind. The policy is informed by the issued guidance about AI from the following professional bodies: APA, ACA, NBCC, NASW, HIPAA, FDA.

For more details on the guidance issued by these bodies:

APA- https://www.apa.org/topics/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/ethical-guidance-ai-professional-practice

ACA- https://www.counseling.org/resources/research-reports/artificial-intelligence-counseling/recommendations-for-practicing-counselors

NASW- https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English

NBCC- https://www.nbcc.org/assets/ethics/EthicalPrinciples_for_AI.pdf

HIPAA- https://www.hipaavault.com/resources/hipaa-and-ai-navigating-compliance-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence/

Each AI policy is crafted specifically to your clinic's unique needs. Your policy includes a policy video training for clinicians and the therapist's guide to ethical AI (a detailed 3 hour video training equipping your clinicians on how to use AI ethically and responsibly). Additionally, the training covers the rising societal phenomenon of artificial companions and what therapists need to know for themselves and for supporting clients.

AI is becoming integrated into a majority of online experiences, whether we know it or not. Even if your practice isn't explicitly using AI, there is a significant likelihood your clinicians are using it on their own for clinical work (note summarization, homework exercise generation, psychoeducational content, input and brainstorming for client cases, etc.). Even practices that aren't actively using AI, still interface with it in various ways. 

Whether you are AI-curious or AI-cautious, a policy aligns with your values while leaving room for flexibility in the future.

An AI policy serves as internal guidance for your clinicians and staff. It is one piece of the protection puzzle by acting as a proactive stance and due diligence document for the risks of AI. 

Rachel is an AI policy expert, and even though she collaborates with attorneys to bring oversight to the AI policy, she is not an attorney nor a legal expert. 

An AI policy undergirds the transparent and ethical care of clients receiving mental health services.