Psychologists Develop New Skills For AI Therapy

Shruti Bansal writes on Feb 8, 2026 that as AI increasingly enters mental-health support, psychologists must develop five essential skills to remain relevant: emotional literacy and empathy, algorithmic-bias identification, relationship building, cultural competence, and ethical/legal competencies. The piece notes AI's inability to replicate lived experience or reliably detect crises, implying clinicians should learn AI limitations, consent communication, and resilience practices.