AI Use Policy for Brickel & Associates, LLC
At Brickel & Associates, we are committed to providing trauma-informed, ethical, and confidential psychotherapy services. Because many consumer artificial intelligence (AI) platforms are increasingly marketed as sources of emotional or mental health “support,” we believe it is important to clearly outline how these tools differ from professional therapy and how their use may affect your well-being and privacy.
Consumer AI Is Not Therapy
Consumer AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Replika, Claude, or similar chatbots) are not designed, regulated, or clinically validated to provide mental health treatment.
They cannot replace therapy, crisis support, or individualized professional guidance.
Privacy and Confidentiality Risks
If you choose to use consumer AI tools on your own, please be aware:
- They are not HIPAA-compliant. Any information you share may be stored, analyzed, or used to train algorithms.
- Your information may be shared with third parties. There is no guarantee of confidentiality or data deletion.
- You may be profiled or targeted with advertising or predictive algorithms based on what you share.
- No clinical or ethical protections apply. Information shared with AI is not covered by therapist–client confidentiality.
Risk of Inaccurate or Harmful Information
AI tools may:
- Provide incorrect or misleading guidance
- Offer suggestions that conflict with your therapeutic goals
- Produce content that may be emotionally activating, invalidating, or harmful, especially for trauma survivors
- Fail to recognize or appropriately respond to indicators of crisis, abuse, or risk
AI Should Not Be Used for Emergencies
AI tools cannot evaluate your safety or provide crisis intervention.
If you are in crisis, please contact 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or call/text 988.
How We Use AI
Brickel & Associates does not use AI to provide clinical decisions, treatment recommendations, or therapeutic interventions.
If used at all, AI-enabled tools may be employed only within our secure, HIPAA-compliant systems (e.g., for scheduling or documentation support), and never for diagnosis or treatment planning.
How AI Use May Affect Therapy
We understand that some clients may use AI tools for journaling, reflection, or curiosity. If you use AI in ways connected to your healing, we welcome discussing it together in session to support your goals, explore its impacts, and ensure safety.
Limits of Responsibility
Your independent use of any consumer AI platform is solely your choice and responsibility.
Brickel & Associates is not responsible for—and does not assume liability for—any outcomes, harms, or misunderstandings related to your use of these tools.