Artificial Intelligence Policy and Counseling

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly and becoming increasingly embedded in everyday life. While it has the potential to revolutionize the counseling profession, enhancing both practice and accessibility, it also presents significant risks. Recognizing this, ACA has been actively monitoring AI’s evolution and is committed to establishing clear, ethical and responsible guidelines for integrating AI into mental health care. Our focus is on ensuring that AI enhances, rather than replaces, human-centered counseling; upholds client confidentiality; and aligns with the core values of the profession.

To ensure counselors have the resources to practice ethically amid this changing landscape, ACA has taken several steps:

• ACA’s AI Working Group, consisting of counseling experts from academia, private practice and the student community, have developed a comprehensive set of recommendations to guide the ethical and responsible integration of AI in mental health counseling.
• ACA is ensuring that AI is an integral part of the proposed changes to ACA’s updated Code of Ethics
• See the existing Code of Ethics here.
• ACA submitted a response to the Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) National Coordination Office. This allowed ACA to advocate for counselors by highlighting their perspectives, questions and concerns regarding AI as federal agencies work to shape an AI Action Plan.

ACA will continue to advocate for AI policy that mitigates risks to clients; streamlines counselors’ administrative work; protects client confidentiality; and recognizes that AI is a useful tool but has limitations and doesn’t replace the therapeutic relationship.

For additional information or to get involved in ACA’s advocacy efforts, contact us at advocacy@counseling.org.