Your client mentions they "talk to ChatGPT when they're feeling down." Another client's social isolation has worsened since they started using an AI companion. A teenager's parent is concerned about how much time their child spends with Character.AI. These presentations are becoming routine in professional practice.
Awareness considerations
Some practitioners are beginning to include conversations about AI use as part of understanding a client's daily habits. Exploring how someone uses AI, whether they have noticed changes in their routines, and how they feel about their usage can provide helpful context. These conversations are exploratory rather than diagnostic, and they may reveal patterns worth discussing further.
AI and overlapping patterns
Excessive AI use may sometimes appear alongside other challenges such as low mood, anxiety, social isolation, or difficulty with relationships. It may be both a contributing factor and a response to these experiences. For example, someone feeling low might turn to AI for comfort, which could reduce motivation for social engagement, potentially deepening the original difficulty. Being aware of these possible connections can be helpful when supporting someone.
Support approaches
Some practitioners are exploring how existing frameworks for compulsive behavior patterns might apply to AI overuse. An emerging trend includes adapting general wellness and self-awareness techniques to help individuals examine their relationship with AI tools. The understanding of these patterns is still in early stages, and approaches continue to evolve as more is learned about how people interact with AI over time.
Ethical considerations
Be aware of AI dependency in your own practice. If you use AI to draft notes, develop support plans, or prepare for sessions, examine whether this use is enhancing your work or creating a dependency of its own. Professionals who model healthy AI relationships may be better positioned to guide others toward the same.
Support your awareness efforts with reflection data. Our quiz is a self-reflection tool for personal awareness — not a diagnostic instrument.