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Washington Today
By the People, for the People
Researchers Explore How AI Can Support Psychotherapy
University of Utah team develops framework for understanding different levels of automation in mental health care
Apr. 7, 2026 at 8:40am
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Emerging AI tools could revolutionize how psychotherapy is evaluated and improved, supporting human experts rather than replacing them.Washington TodayA team of University of Utah researchers is exploring how artificial intelligence and automation can support psychotherapy, without replacing human therapists. The researchers have developed a framework that outlines four categories of automation, ranging from scripted chatbots to fully autonomous AI therapists. They are particularly interested in using AI to improve the way clinicians are evaluated and trained, which they say could dramatically improve mental health care at scale.
Why it matters
As conversational AI becomes more advanced, the traditional model of human-to-human psychotherapy is shifting. This research provides a much-needed framework for understanding the different ways AI can be deployed in mental health care, and the varying levels of risk and benefit associated with each approach. By identifying opportunities to use AI as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for therapists, the researchers hope to improve access to quality mental health services.
The details
The research team, which includes experts from the University of Utah's College of Engineering, School of Medicine, and College of Education, outlined four categories of automation in psychotherapy: Category A: Scripted systems - Content is prewritten by humans, but provided to patients by chatbots that follow decision trees. Category B: AI evaluates therapists - The AI reviews therapy sessions and gives feedback or ratings. Category C: AI assists therapists - The AI suggests interventions, prompts, or phrasing, but a human therapist delivers care. Category D: AI provides therapy directly - An autonomous agent generates responses and interacts with patients, possibly with supervision.
- The study, titled "A Framework for Automation in Psychotherapy," was posted in advance of publication by Current Directions in Psychological Science in April 2026.
The players
Zac Imel
A professor of educational psychology and lead author of the study.
Vivek Srikumar
An associate professor at the Kahlert School of Computing and co-author of the study.
Brent Kious
An associate professor of psychiatry and co-author of the study.
SafeUT
Utah's statewide text-based crisis line, which the researchers are partnering with to develop tools to evaluate and train crisis counselors.
Lyssn
A tech company in Seattle that Zac Imel co-founded, which is developing AI-based quality-improvement programs for behavioral health services.
What they’re saying
“The history of new technology like this is almost always about collaboration, and it's about how it supports the human expert in doing the work they can do.”
— Zac Imel, Professor of educational psychology
“This paper can be seen from that perspective. The extreme version of AI in psychotherapy is an AI therapist, but there are different levels of automation that might be associated with different amounts of risk.”
— Vivek Srikumar, Associate professor at the Kahlert School of Computing
“We are currently partnering with SafeUT, Utah's statewide text-based crisis line, to develop tools that help evaluate crisis counselors' sessions so that they can get feedback to maintain key skills and even develop new ones as we learn more about crisis counseling.”
— Brent Kious, Associate professor of psychiatry
What’s next
The researchers plan to continue their collaboration with SafeUT to develop AI-powered tools that can provide real-time feedback and evaluation for crisis counselors, helping them improve their skills and the quality of care they provide.
The takeaway
This research highlights the potential for AI and automation to enhance psychotherapy, but emphasizes the need for a thoughtful, nuanced approach that prioritizes human expertise and the therapeutic relationship. By focusing on ways to support and empower clinicians, rather than replace them, the researchers aim to improve access to quality mental health care at scale.
