If Your Therapy Practice is "Evidence-Based," AI Will Replace You

Why Therapy Needs to Reclaim Its Humanity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Ever since I began studying to become a therapist, the term "evidence-based" held some hallmark of respectability in the world of therapy. As time played out, I learned to question and critique the notion of “evidence-based." After understanding the limitations of evidence-based practice when applied to therapy, limitations like the emphasis on manualization, ignoring the therapeutic relationship, reductionist diagnosis and treatment, the politics and economics of evidence, and the marginalization of non-western approaches, “evidence-based” became something I did not traffic in, nor did it hold any weight for me. And now that we are facing a rapidly changing world that is confronting and creating change in the way we practice therapy, and the therapy world in general, I’m glad I ignored the whole “evidence-based” practice thing.

In this eminent change there’s a looming reality that few in the field are ready to face: If your practice is truly rooted in the rigid, manualized protocols of evidence-based therapy, artificial intelligence will replace you sooner rather than later. AI excels at following protocols, diagnosing symptoms, and matching clients to pre-established treatments. In fact, manualized therapies will likely be the first to be adopted by AI en masse. But if your practice goes beyond that—if it's a blend of philosophy, art, creativity, and deep relational work—then there's hope for you yet.

The Paradox of "Evidence-Based"

The folks reading this that claim an evidence-based practice might think, ‘I’m not worried.’ So, let’s be honest: most therapists who claim their work as "evidence-based" don’t adhere to the strict protocols under which that evidence was produced. Evidence-based models are often derived from studies where every step is meticulously controlled and manualized. But real-world therapy is messy. It’s relational. People come to therapy with complex, multi-layered challenges that don’t fit neatly into a checklist of symptoms, protocols, or scripts.

Despite this, the allure of labeling one’s practice as evidence-based is powerful. Many think of it as a competitive advantage in a crowded field of competitors. It implies legitimacy, professionalism, and results. But if the cornerstone of your practice is a manualized, protocol-driven approach, then you’ve already built a structure that AI can easily mimic and perfect. In fact, AI could deliver it with greater consistency and accuracy than any human therapist, eliminating those variables that "evidence-based" therapists often ignore.

Why AI Will Thrive in Manualized Therapy

AI thrives in spaces where predictable patterns exist—where there is a clear input (client symptoms) and a defined output (prescribed intervention). Manualized therapy, with its step-by-step frameworks and pre-packaged protocols, offers the perfect blueprint for AI-driven services. We’ve already seen mental health apps offering CBT-based interventions, and it’s only a matter of time before AI models take on more advanced protocols and scripted approaches like DBT, EMDR, and others.

But here’s the key: AI is not creative, philosophical, or poetic. It doesn’t sit in uncertainty with a client. It doesn’t ask creative open-ended questions that have no right or wrong answers. It doesn’t build relationships. And therein lies the opportunity for human therapists to step into something deeper and richer.

Re-imagining Therapy

The rise of AI should serve as a wake-up call for therapists to abandon the overly medicalized model that has dominated the field to date. Therapy should not be about treating symptoms, ticking boxes, or reducing human complexity to a diagnosis. It should be about fostering a space where genuine transformation occurs—where a person is seen, heard, and felt in their entirety.

This is an opportunity for therapists to reclaim the art of therapy. To see it as an endeavor influenced not just by science, but by relationship, philosophy, art, poetry, and creativity. The essence of therapy has always been relational, and that cannot be replicated by an algorithm. The nuance, the warmth, the trust—all of this requires human presence. And we need to emphasize that more than ever before.

When therapy becomes an art, it is no longer reducible to the sum of its parts. It engages with metaphor, symbolism, and creativity. It invites clients into the process of meaning-making. And it breaks away from the cold, sterile confines of medicalization.

We must re-embrace a therapeutic practice that is fluid, responsive, and deeply human. Therapy, when it’s at its best, is not about solving problems; it’s about expanding possibilities. It’s about engaging in a dialogue that stretches beyond the surface of the issue, reaching into the spaces of identity, meaning, and purpose. It’s about world making.

A Better Therapeutic Experience

Clients come to therapy for a myriad of reasons. They come to be understood. To feel connected. To grapple with the existential questions that come with being alive. AI can offer solutions, but it cannot sit with someone through the long, uncomfortable silence of deep thought. It cannot ask, “What might this mean for you?” and patiently wait for an answer that could take minutes, or months, to form.

The future of therapy lies not in clinging to evidence-based models that AI will inevitably master but in reclaiming therapy as an art form. By integrating philosophy, creativity, and relational depth into our work, we not only make ourselves irreplaceable—we offer our clients a richer, more profound and felt experience that goes far beyond the confines of the medical model.

AI is poised to take over the realm of manualized, evidence-based therapies. But if we, as therapists, lean into the complexity of human relationships and embrace the art of therapy, we offer something far more valuable than any algorithm can provide. It’s time to reimagine therapy as more than just a science. It’s time to realize the medical model and ‘evidence-based practice’ is a trap. It’s time to return to the heart of the work, where therapy is as much or more about creativity, philosophy, and poetry as it is about protocols and evidence.