Prosper in Private Practice
Is My Therapist Using AI? Disclosure, Consent & the New BACP Framework
This episode isn't a debate about whether AI is good or bad, and it won't push you to adopt anything or shame you for going slowly. It's about the quieter question underneath all the noise: what do we owe our clients about the tools behind our work, and how do we answer honestly, in a way that deepens trust rather than denting it? We use the new BACP Ethical Framework as our anchor — the 2026 version, mandatory from 3 November, which addresses AI and digital technology explicitly for the first time. In this episode: Why clients are starting to ask about AI, and why it's a reasonable question rather than an attack What the new BACP framework actually asks of you — assessing any AI or digital tool before you use it The good-practice essentials: training, insurance and informed consent Where AI shows up in your practice, from high-stakes note-takers to everyday admin The one line that does most of the work: never put identifying client information into a general AI system A proportionate approach to what to disclose, when, and in plain language — including what to say if a client asks you out of the blue The heart of it is simple. Accountability stays with you, not the tool. The framework isn't asking you to fear AI or to rush toward it — just to be able to answer for it. And that's the same thing your clients are asking for. If you're a therapist trying to think clearly about AI without the hype or the fear, I write a calm, practical newsletter on exactly this — what's changing, what it means for private practice, and how to make proportionate decisions you can stand behind. Come and join us: https://ainotes.prosperinprivatepractice.com/
