AI for Therapists and Coaches: Practical Tools, Privacy, and Everyday Use
Artificial intelligence is showing up everywhere right now, and for many therapists and coaches, the big question is not whether AI exists, but how to use it in practical, thoughtful, and ethical ways.
In this presentation, we explored some of the basics of AI with a focus on tools that can support therapists and coaches in their everyday work. The goal was not to suggest that AI can do everything for us. It cannot. In fact, one of the themes that came up throughout the training was that AI can be incredibly useful, but it is still imperfect. It often requires guidance, revision, and human oversight.
AI Is Helpful, But It Is Not Magic
One of the first things discussed was the reality that AI tools can produce useful results while still making mistakes. Even simple creative tasks, such as turning a process into an image, may come back with formatting issues, repeated steps, or layouts that are not quite right. The technology is improving quickly, but it still needs human judgment.
That is an important point for therapists, coaches, and educators. AI can save time, support brainstorming, help organize ideas, and polish materials, but it does not replace professional skill, discernment, or relationship-based work.
Start With Privacy and De-Identification
Before getting into tools and techniques, the presentation emphasized privacy.
When using AI in any professional context, especially one involving client-related material, it is important to remove identifying details. Names, exact locations, employers, schools, dates of birth, and other specific personal information should be stripped out before uploading content. Generic wording is safer and more appropriate. For example, instead of entering a client’s name and exact life circumstances, it is better to use language such as:
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- adult client experiencing anxiety
- coaching client working on behavior change
- client preparing for a career transition
The point is to preserve the usefulness of the information while protecting confidentiality.
Participants also reviewed the value of adjusting settings inside ChatGPT to reduce the use of account data for model improvement. While these settings do not replace ethical judgment, they can add an extra layer of protection.
Organizing AI With Projects, Sources, and “Clones”
A major part of the presentation focused on creating more intentional AI workflows through the use of projects and source documents.
One helpful strategy is to create separate AI spaces for different roles or responsibilities. For example, you might have one project for:
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- your coaching practice
- your therapy-adjacent educational materials
- your business and marketing work
- administrative support
- teaching or training
In the presentation, these customized setups were referred to as “clones.” A clone is essentially a project that is given its own role, expectations, writing style, and source material. Rather than starting from scratch each time, you can build an AI workspace that understands the context you want it to use.
This can be especially helpful if you wear multiple hats. Many of us do not show up in exactly the same way across every part of our work. The voice you use as a coach may be different from the one you use as an educator, presenter, or business owner.
Persona, DNA, and Playbook
To make these projects more useful, participants were introduced to a simple framework built around three concepts:
Persona
This is the role the AI is taking on. For example, assistant, editor, writing partner, client worksheet builder, or marketing support.
DNA
This includes your values, voice, priorities, tone, preferred language, audience, and the kinds of things that matter most in your work.
Playbook
This is the structure or set of operating rules. It can include how you want the AI to respond, what it should avoid, formatting preferences, and how it should use your source materials.
Together, these three pieces help create more consistency. Instead of hoping the tool “gets” you, you are telling it how to support you.
Using Source Documents Intentionally
Another practical takeaway was the importance of adding source documents and telling the AI to refer back to them.
For example, you might upload:
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- your writing sample
- a description of your ideal client
- a worksheet template
- your business voice guidelines
- your teaching or coaching philosophy
- sample language you often use
Then, when you want the AI to create something, you can explicitly tell it to reference those sources.
This is helpful because AI does not reliably remember everything the way people often expect it to. It may remember some patterns, but it may also forget structure, tone, or earlier instructions. Attaching a source document and referencing it directly often leads to more accurate and consistent results.
Practical Uses for Therapists and Coaches
The most useful part of the discussion centered on real-world applications. AI can be particularly helpful for tasks such as:
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- drafting client worksheets
- generating role-play scripts
- writing between-session messages
- rewriting client-facing materials for clarity
- organizing ideas for workshops or group sessions
- polishing emails and announcements
- brainstorming content and resources
- summarizing transcripts into usable posts or handouts
The presentation included prompt templates that start by asking the user a few key questions. For example, before generating a worksheet, the AI might ask about:
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- the topic or skill area
- the client’s main challenge or pattern
- the desired outcome
- the tone of the material
- anything that should be included or avoided
That approach makes the output more flexible and more responsive to the specific situation.
Examples From Real Use
Several examples were shared from actual use cases.
One example involved helping someone tailor a resume to a new job description. After removing identifying information, the resume and job posting were compared, and AI was used to highlight how the candidate’s certifications aligned with the role. It then created a revised resume draft that matched the language of the job posting more closely.
Other examples included:
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- cleaning up emails
- creating educational materials
- converting video transcripts into website or discussion posts
- identifying public speaking opportunities
- finding journal articles and summarizing them
- generating structured prompts for future tasks
These examples showed that AI can be especially valuable when used as a support tool for drafting, formatting, narrowing options, and reducing repetitive work.
What AI Still Does Poorly
The presentation also addressed limits.
Some tasks still require too much nuance for AI to do well without heavy oversight. For example, grading certain kinds of student work, evaluating outlines, or handling deeply interpretive tasks may still be better done manually.
Even when AI does a decent job, it often needs correction. It can flatten voice, make everything sound too similar, or miss the details that matter most. It works best when you are actively directing it rather than handing over full control.
AI as a Time-Saving Assistant
For solo practitioners, educators, and small business owners, AI can feel like having an extra pair of hands.
It can help with the heavy lift of drafting and organizing, allowing more time and energy for the work that actually requires human presence, judgment, and connection. It does not replace the professional. It supports the professional.
That may be one of the most useful ways to think about it: not as a replacement, but as an assistant.
Final Thought
AI is most powerful when it is used with intention.
For therapists and coaches, that means protecting privacy, de-identifying information, being clear about how tools are being used, and staying grounded in professional judgment. It also means experimenting. Much of learning AI comes from trying things, refining prompts, noticing what works, and adjusting along the way.
Used thoughtfully, AI can help simplify administrative work, support content creation, and make space for more of the human work that matters most.
Access to forms and files discussed in the recording
ShARI ‘s contact information:
Email: SELFHEAL@MSN.COM
Website: SELFHEALINGHYPNOTHERAPY.COM
