About the Webinar:

Clients are already using AI tools like ChatGPT and Character.AI for mental health support (Rousmaniere et al., 2025), often without discussing this with their therapists. While research shows promising outcomes, including symptom reduction (Heinz et al., 2025), concerning safety gaps remain, including inappropriate responses to suicidal ideation and inconsistent crisis handling (Moore et al., 2025; Santos et al., 2025). This session presents a practical ethical framework for engaging clients in conversations about their use of AI. Dr. Georgiadou will address four critical areas: crisis safety and privacy concerns, emotional attachment and relationship formation with AI companions, AI hallucinations and misinformation, and patterns of overuse or dependence. Participants will learn evidence-based strategies to identify common AI mental health tools, understand client motivations for AI adoption, and respond with clinically sound approaches that support their clients' informed decision-making while maintaining therapeutic safety and alliance.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Sofia Georgiadou, Ph.D., LMFT‑S, LPC‑S, NCC, is an Associate Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at UMass Global. She specializes in graduate teaching, clinical supervision, and curriculum development across online and on‑ground settings. Previously, she served as Assistant Professor and Internship Coordinator at the University of Houston–Clear Lake and as Clinical Director at a residential treatment center in Houston, where she led trauma‑informed care for adolescents and established an internship program.

Her scholarship focuses on culturally sustaining pedagogy, ethics, and the integration of AI tools in systemic therapy education. She has authored professional and peer‑reviewed publications, including in Family Therapy Magazine and the International Journal of Systemic Therapy, and produces the Learning and Teaching Systemic Therapy podcast. Her funded projects span qualitative and mixed‑methods studies on competency development, belonging and othering in higher education, and clinician training needs.

Dr. Georgiadou is a licensed LMFT‑Supervisor and LPC‑Supervisor in Texas and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Her service includes service as an Editorial Board Member for the International Journal of Systemic Therapy, a Board Member‑at‑Large for COAST, and President of TAMFT (2026-2028). She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a B.A. in Psychology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.