Artificial Intelligence and Psychotherapy

Opportunities, Challenges and Clinical Applications
Erscheinungsjahr 2027
ISBN: 978-3-032-42035-0
Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan

Buch, Englisch, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

This comprehensive monograph addresses the transformative intersection of artificial intelligence and contemporary psychotherapy practice. The central argument is that AI technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, chatbots, and algorithmic clinical decision support, are fundamentally reshaping how mental health care is delivered, diagnosed, and understood.

What makes this work distinctive is its balanced, evidence-based approach that moves beyond technological enthusiasm to critically examine the realities of AI implementation in clinical psychology and psychiatry. Rather than asking 'Can AI replace therapists?', the book asks more nuanced questions: How can AI enhance therapeutic effectiveness while preserving the human relational core of psychotherapy? What are the ethical implications of algorithmic decision making in sensitive mental health contexts? How do digital therapeutics and conversational AI actually affect treatment outcomes and the therapeutic relationship?

This book synthesizes cutting-edge research from psychology, psychotherapy, neuroscience, computer science, and medicine while remaining clinically grounded. It covers practical applications, from AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment planning to chatbot-based interventions and crisis prediction systems, while thoroughly examining concerns about privacy, algorithmic bias, informed consent, and digital equity. The organization moves from foundational concepts through clinical applications to future implications, making it accessible to both researchers and practitioners. This book addresses a critical gap: mental health professionals need evidence-based resources to understand, evaluate, and responsibly implement AI tools in their practice, while also contributing to important interdisciplinary conversations about AI ethics and digital health policy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Eichenberg, Christiane

Bischoff, Henrik

Krusche, Julian

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologische Disziplinen Gesundheitspsychologie
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Informatik Künstliche Intelligenz
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologie / Allgemeines & Theorie Psychologie: Allgemeines
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychotherapie / Klinische Psychologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologische Disziplinen Wirtschafts-, Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Medienwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part I: Foundations of AI in Psychotherapy.- Chapter 1: What is Artificial Intelligence?.- Chapter 2: Development of Digital Psychotherapy.- Chapter 3: Interfaces Between AI and Psychotherapy.- Part II: Application Fields and Technologies.- Chapter 4: Chatbots and Virtual Therapists.- Chapter 5: AI in Diagnosis and Early Detection.- Chapter 6: Personalized Therapy Approaches Through AI.- Chapter 7: AI-Supported Virtual Reality Applications and Serious Games.- Chapter 8: Practical Implementation of AI in Psychotherapy Training.- Chapter 9: AI in Psychotherapy Research.- Chapter 10: AI in Psychotherapy: Application in Different Therapeutic Schools.- Chapter 11: Clinically Relevant Effects of AI Use.- Part III: Ethical, Legal, and Practical Aspects.- Chapter 12: Ethics and Data Protection.- Chapter 13: Human-Machine Interaction in Therapy.- Chapter 14: Regulation and Certification of AI Therapy Tools.- Part IV: Outlook and Future Visions.- Chapter 15: The Future of Psychotherapy with AI.- Chapter 16: Conclusion and Recommendations for Action.

Über Autor(innen)

Christiane Eichenberg, Univ.-Prof. Dr.in, graduate psychologist (Diplom-Psychologin) and psychotherapist (psychoanalysis), is head of the Institute for Psychosomatics at the Faculty of Medicine of the Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversität Wien. For research, publication and lecturing activities see www.christianeeichenberg.de.

Henrik Bischoff, M.Sc., psychologist with a focus on clinical and neurocognitive psychology, currently teaches and researches at the Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversität Wien. His research focuses are e-mental health as well as the role of interoceptive and affective processes for mental health.

Julian Krusche, M.Sc., psychologist, research associate at the Institute for Psychosomatics at the Faculty of Medicine and doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Psychology of the Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversität in Vienna, Austria.