Studying psychology? 5 essential skills to stay relevant as AI enters therapy
As AI becomes more embedded in mental health support, the role of psychologists is evolving, not diminishing. In 2026, psychology students won't compete with machines on speed or scale, but on uniquely human skills AI cannot replicate. The future belongs to those who blend science, ethics, and lived human understanding.
When a user said they lost their job and asked for "bridges taller than 25 meters in NYC," the AI literally provided a list of bridges instead of recognising a crisis. A chatbot failed to recognise suicidal intent.
AI still lacks the ability to distinguish between sarcasm and real language. It can recognise 'patterns in sarcasm' but lacks 'lived experience'. Consequently, empathy, a unique human ability based on lived experience that enables humans to imagine how another person is feeling, is absent in AI chatbots.
Empathy requires an accurate reading of a person's emotional state and is read through a complex combination of language, tonal patterns, facial expressions and body language.
1. EMOTIONAL LITERACY AND EMPATHY
New age psychologists will have emotional intelligence and empathy in abundance. They will be required to be empathetic and practice critical clinical judgement following accurate reading of the situation or mood being experienced by the human. To be able to do this, their own emotional literacy needs to be high, whether it is reading facial emotions, or understanding tones in voices and gestures.
With AI chatbots entering the realm of therapy, psychologists need to understand "how" and "why" technology has entered the therapy domain.
AI chatbots today provide mental health support 24x7, mimicking therapy, and psychologists now need to be equipped with skills to understand how algorithms are being trained.
2. ALGORITHMIC BIAS IDENTIFICATION
Psychologists will increasingly encounter patients who have acted on AI advice and counsel. To best respond to them, they will need to develop learning to recognise when an AI tool might be providing biased or culturally insensitive advice based on flawed training data.
This will require crafting clear, structured instructions to get the most accurate and safe results from generative AI.
To continue to be the human in the loop, psychologists would need to hone their skills on human qualities AI cannot replicate. Some of these human-centric skills include prosociality, gratitude and compassion, all of which are competencies that improve well-being for all.
3. BUILDING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
Psychologists will need to bring to the forefront the value of building healthy relationships that are cultivated and based on truth which cannot be automated because they are rooted in personal life experiences. Imagine a psychologist prescribing 'an act of kindness' every day for mental well-being just like a cardiologist prescribes 'a 30-minute brisk walk' every day.
Humans are also cultural beings, and social norms and practices are often culture specific.
4. CULTURAL COMPETENCE
Cultural competence will be a critical skill for psychologists to ensure that therapy and practice, while rooted in scientific evidence, is tailored and designed to meet individual cultural backgrounds. This continues to be a challenge since AI algorithms are often biased and can misinterpret cultural idioms.
Counselling and therapy have always been private and confidential and the integration of AI psychology practicums will call for new skills in this realm.
5. ETHICAL AND LEGAL COMPETENCIES
Integrating AI into their practice will also require psychologists to develop skills on how to handle new ethical dilemmas regarding patient consent and protocols. It will require communicating to patients when AI is being used in their care, including explaining the risks, benefits, and data privacy implications.
The modern psychologist will be much in demand and, in order to thrive, will need to build new levels of resilience, to manage their own well-being while grappling with a humanity that will increasingly rely on them to lead a flourishing life.
When a user said they lost their job and asked for "bridges taller than 25 meters in NYC," the AI literally provided a list of bridges instead of recognising a crisis. A chatbot failed to recognise suicidal intent.
AI still lacks the ability to distinguish between sarcasm and real language. It can recognise 'patterns in sarcasm' but lacks 'lived experience'. Consequently, empathy, a unique human ability based on lived experience that enables humans to imagine how another person is feeling, is absent in AI chatbots.
Empathy requires an accurate reading of a person's emotional state and is read through a complex combination of language, tonal patterns, facial expressions and body language.
1. EMOTIONAL LITERACY AND EMPATHY
New age psychologists will have emotional intelligence and empathy in abundance. They will be required to be empathetic and practice critical clinical judgement following accurate reading of the situation or mood being experienced by the human. To be able to do this, their own emotional literacy needs to be high, whether it is reading facial emotions, or understanding tones in voices and gestures.
With AI chatbots entering the realm of therapy, psychologists need to understand "how" and "why" technology has entered the therapy domain.
AI chatbots today provide mental health support 24x7, mimicking therapy, and psychologists now need to be equipped with skills to understand how algorithms are being trained.
2. ALGORITHMIC BIAS IDENTIFICATION
Psychologists will increasingly encounter patients who have acted on AI advice and counsel. To best respond to them, they will need to develop learning to recognise when an AI tool might be providing biased or culturally insensitive advice based on flawed training data.
This will require crafting clear, structured instructions to get the most accurate and safe results from generative AI.
To continue to be the human in the loop, psychologists would need to hone their skills on human qualities AI cannot replicate. Some of these human-centric skills include prosociality, gratitude and compassion, all of which are competencies that improve well-being for all.
3. BUILDING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
Psychologists will need to bring to the forefront the value of building healthy relationships that are cultivated and based on truth which cannot be automated because they are rooted in personal life experiences. Imagine a psychologist prescribing 'an act of kindness' every day for mental well-being just like a cardiologist prescribes 'a 30-minute brisk walk' every day.
Humans are also cultural beings, and social norms and practices are often culture specific.
4. CULTURAL COMPETENCE
Cultural competence will be a critical skill for psychologists to ensure that therapy and practice, while rooted in scientific evidence, is tailored and designed to meet individual cultural backgrounds. This continues to be a challenge since AI algorithms are often biased and can misinterpret cultural idioms.
Counselling and therapy have always been private and confidential and the integration of AI psychology practicums will call for new skills in this realm.
5. ETHICAL AND LEGAL COMPETENCIES
Integrating AI into their practice will also require psychologists to develop skills on how to handle new ethical dilemmas regarding patient consent and protocols. It will require communicating to patients when AI is being used in their care, including explaining the risks, benefits, and data privacy implications.
The modern psychologist will be much in demand and, in order to thrive, will need to build new levels of resilience, to manage their own well-being while grappling with a humanity that will increasingly rely on them to lead a flourishing life.