Chatbots and Humanistic Counseling: Are Empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Congruence Present in Both?

Abstract

Generative AI chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT) are now part of humans’ relational milieu. Most people interact with them, and ChatGPT's most frequent usages are akin to common purposes of humanistic counseling: therapy or companionship, finding purpose, and organizing one's life. Studies are emerging from counselor educators and others to show beneficial experience and effects of intentional chatbot use. At the same time, large‐scale studies show that increased use of ChatGPT is associated with loneliness, dependence, and lower socialization. The purpose of this paper is to offer points of consideration as counselors deliberate the integration of chatbots in therapeutic practice. To do so, this paper discusses common usage of chatbots to facilitate self‐actualization; negative effects of high chatbot usage; assessment of user perceptions of chatbot facilitative responses; ChatGPT's own description of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence; non‐humanistic aspects of chatbot facilitation from the authors’ perspective; and suggestions for improved chatbot usage.