With therapy hard to get, people lean on AI for mental health. What are the risks?

With therapy hard to get, people lean on AI for mental health. What are the risks?

Windsor Johnston

September 30, 2025 / 5:00 am

Kristen Johansson's therapy ended with a single phone call.

For five years, she'd trusted the same counselor — through her mother's death, a divorce and years of childhood trauma work. But when her therapist stopped taking insurance, Johansson's $30 copay ballooned to $275 a session overnight. Even when her therapist offered a reduced rate, Johansson couldn't afford it. The referrals she was given went nowhere.

"I was devastated," she said.

Six months later, the 32-year-old mom is still without a human therapist. But she hears from a therapeutic voice every day — via ChatGPT, an app developed by Open AI. Johansson pays for the app's $20-a-month service up