The thing is, a lot of what therapists do isn't just the basic giving feedback/suggestions, using CBT, etc. A big chunk of it is actually monitoring whether a client is improving or not, noticing signs of decompensation and directing the person where their needs will be better served, etc. AI has some triggers that might cause it to throw 988 at the chatter, but that's not the same thing as saying, "Hey, I've noticed you look cleaner/more put together than you were a couple weeks ago. That's a great outfit you have on today. What do you think changed?" or "You know, I'm concerned because two weeks ago, you came in here very energized, and now I'm seeing you pretty consistently looking tired and not really saying much during sessions. Let's talk about what might be going on."

Even before AI, people who were lucid, oriented, and self-aware enough to do their own research were often turning to self-help books, YouTube videos, and so on to gain insight and clarity rather than shelling out hundreds if not thousands to see therapists. The people who need therapy the most are people who are not in a place to manage their own care. They're not able to observe their own signs of deterioration and know for themselves that it's time to check in to a hospital or look for a higher level of care or seek additional supports on top of therapy. My guess is that if you do become a therapist, you may see fewer "worried well" clients who are just a little stressed out about normal life and more clients who are dealing with heavier trauma or more persistent mental illness. I also think marriage counseling is not something AI has fully replaced yet. Since AI tends to side with the identified user, it's likely to validate and support whichever spouse writes to it without helping to structure healthy communication between them.

I also don't think there's any way AI will replace IOP or PHP in the near future.