Bespoke Members
Introduction
Technology now plays a growing role in the ways we access, offer, and think about psychological support. From online therapy and blended care models through to emerging uses of artificial intelligence, digital tools are now part of the wider ecosystems of support and learning that shape everyday clinical life. For many practitioners, this brings both opportunities and uncertainty - how can we integrate these new approaches without losing the human heart of therapy? This session offers a space to explore that question together. We’ll look at how technology can potentially enhance access, engagement, and creativity in therapy, while also reflecting on its limitations and ethical challenges. Drawing on recent research and service innovations the session invites participants to think critically and practically about how technology and AI might complement their own ways of working.
The event will be equivalent to 2.3/4hrs of CPD.
Content
This session will:
• Explore how technology is already embedded in counselling and mental health work – from online therapy and chat-based support to blended and self-guided interventions.
• Consider emerging developments in artificial intelligence, including AI-assisted tools for reflection, formulation, and supervision.
• Examine the possibilities and pitfalls of these developments – how technology can extend reach, enhance creativity, and streamline practice, while also introducing new challenges around therapeutic relationships, ethics, professional boundaries, and environmental cost.
• Demonstrate examples of AI resources being developed to support people seeking help and practitioners looking for more efficient or reflective ways of working.
• Create space for discussion, shared experience, and critical reflection on how technology fits (or doesn’t fit) within participants’ practice contexts.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe how digital and AI technologies are currently being used within counselling and psychological services and identify key trends shaping their development.
2. Evaluate the possibilities and pitfalls of using technology in therapy, including its impact on access, engagement, ethics, the therapeutic relationship and the environment.
3. Reflect on how their own professional values and practices can guide the effective and ethical integration of digital tools within their service context.
4. Identify practical ways to experiment safely with technology and AI tools - whether for client support, supervision, or ongoing professional learning.
Training Modalities
The session will include:
Didactic input to introduce key ideas, evidence, and examples from practice.
Reflective exercises to help participants connect the ideas with their own experiences and contexts.
Interactive polls (via Menti) to capture and share participants’ perspectives in real time.
Live demonstrations of AI and digital resources relevant to counselling and supervision.
Q&A and self-reflections to consolidate learning and discuss practical applications.
Key References
American Counseling Association. (2024). Recommendations for practicing counselors and their clients: Artificial intelligence in counseling. ACA. https://www.counseling.org/resources/research-reports/artificial-intelligence-counseling
Hanley, T. (2021). Researching online counselling and psychotherapy: The past, the present and the future. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(3), 493–497. https://doi.org/10/gk87gz
Prescott, J., & Hanley, T. (2023). Therapists’ attitudes towards the use of AI in therapeutic practice: Considering the therapeutic alliance. Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 27(2), 177–185. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-02-2023-0020
Richards, D. (2025). Artificial intelligence and psychotherapy: A counterpoint. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 25(1), e12758. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12758
White, E., & Hanley, T. (2025). “What I share is not the same as therapy”: Psychologist experiences of Instagram use as a mental health influencer. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12585
About the presenter
Terry Hanley is a Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Manchester, a Health and Care Professions Council registered counselling psychologist and a Fellow the British Psychological Society. Terry has spent over 20 years researching the intersection between technology and counselling and psychotherapy and written widely in this area. He is also co-editor of The SAGE Handbook of Counselling and Psychotherapy (5th edition, Sage) and Adolescent Counselling Psychology (Routledge) and co-author of Introducing Counselling and Psychotherapy Research (Sage) and Key Issues in Counselling Psychology (Wiley/BPS).
Who should attend
This event is suitable for clinicians working across adult and child services in the NHS or allied sectors, including psychological therapists, counsellors, practitioner psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists. It will be particularly relevant for practitioners involved in digital or hybrid service delivery, as well as those interested in expanding their confidence and competence in technology-assisted counselling.