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Wired for Wisdom: Integrating AI Thoughtfully into the Healing Relationship

Previously Recorded
Rus Devorah (Darcy) Wallen, LCSW, CIMHP
$59.99 Cost For Member: $39.99

Wired for Wisdom: Integrating AI Thoughtfully into the Healing Relationship

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into therapeutic practice offers clinicians innovative tools to augment, not replace, the therapeutic alliance. This presentation explores how AI can support therapists in delivering personalized, effective care through applications such as AI-generated music (e.g., Suno), personalized poetry, behavioral tracking, custom recordings, guided meditations, affirmations, and therapeutic apps. Grounded in cognitive-behavioral theory and neuroscience, AI tools can assist in monitoring client behaviors, identifying patterns, and providing real-time feedback, thereby facilitating neuroplasticity and reinforcing positive behavioral changes. For instance, AI-driven platforms can generate personalized soundscapes that promote relaxation and emotional regulation, aligning with findings that music therapy can significantly impact neural pathways associated with stress and anxiety (CassetteAI, 2024).

Moreover, AI applications can streamline administrative tasks, such as progress note documentation and treatment planning, allowing therapists to allocate more time to direct client engagement. Tools like AutoNotes have demonstrated efficacy in reducing clinician burnout by automating routine documentation processes (AutoNotes, 2025). Ethical considerations remain paramount in the deployment of AI in therapy. Ensuring client confidentiality, obtaining informed consent, and maintaining transparency about AI's role in treatment are critical. Therapists must also be vigilant about potential biases in AI algorithms and strive to use culturally competent and inclusive tools.

This session will provide clinicians with practical strategies for integrating AI into their practice responsibly. Attendees will gain insights into selecting appropriate AI tools, customizing interventions to meet individual client needs, and upholding ethical standards in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

About the Presenter

Rus Devorah (Darcy) Wallen, LCSW, ACSW, CIMHP, is the Founder of Toratherapeutics® and NOGA Wellness Solutions®. A licensed clinical social worker and certified integrative health professional, she combines trauma therapies, MBCT, and the Neuro Arts—music, psychotherapy, and education—to promote emotional wellbeing. Her NOGA® Sound Solutions brand offers sound healing and meditation-based relaxation tools worldwide.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Participants will identify and evaluate at least three practical AI tools that can ethically enhance therapeutic practice, including applications for behavior tracking, guided meditations, and AI-generated music, while understanding their appropriate use with clients
  2. Participants will demonstrate an understanding of key ethical principles related to AI integration in clinical settings—specifically confidentiality, informed consent, algorithmic bias, and the preservation of the therapeutic alliance—in alignment with current professional codes of ethics (APA, NASW, NBCC).
  3. Participants will apply neuroscience-informed insights to explain how AI technologies may influence client behavior, neuroplasticity, and engagement, and formulate one personalized plan to ethically integrate an AI-assisted tool into their practice or client homework.

Agenda:

  1. Welcome & Opening Reflection (10 minutes)

    • Overview: Outline session goals: understand the neuroscience of digital engagement, explore the ethics of AI in therapy, and examine practical applications.
    • Reflective Prompt: "What role should wisdom play in digital therapy?"
      • Encourage brief journaling or silent reflection.
      • Introduce the idea that technology must be guided by timeless principles: compassion, discernment, and client-centered care.
      • Quote to frame: “Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it.” – David Starr Jordan
    1. The Science Behind AI & Digital Behavior (20 minutes)

    Theme: Neuroscience, AI, and the Brain’s Response to Digital Input

    • Neuroplasticity & Behavior Shaping:
      • Repeated exposure to digital stimuli rewires the brain’s reward system (Mesolimbic pathway).
      • Source: Volkow et al. (2009) “The Addictive Dimensionality of Technology Use”
      • Chronic online engagement impacts executive function and impulse control (prefrontal cortex).
    • AI Interpretation of Behavior:
      • Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools can detect emotional tone, stress, and sentiment in client speech.
      • Facial recognition and behavioral patterning used in AI mood analysis.
      • Source: Calvo & D’Mello (2010) “Affect Detection in Learning and Therapy Environments”
    • Implications for Mental Health:
      • AI can offer early detection of mood disorders and suggest targeted interventions.
      • Enhances access to care in underserved populations (e.g., chatbots, mobile apps).
      • Caution: Must interpret patterns contextually, not formulaically.
    1. Ethics in the Age of AI (20 minutes)

    Theme: Protecting the Heart of Therapy in a Tech-Driven World

    • Confidentiality, Consent, and Digital Trust:
      • Ensure HIPAA/GDPR compliance with AI platforms.
      • Informed consent must include clarity on AI’s role, limitations, and data usage.
      • Source: APA Guidelines for Telepsychology Services; NASW Code of Ethics 2021 Update
    • Bias in Algorithms & Therapeutic Boundaries:
      • AI may reproduce societal and cultural biases in training data.
      • Boundaries: Avoid over-reliance on AI for clinical judgment. Use as adjunct only.
      • Source: Obermeyer et al. (2019) “Dissecting Racial Bias in Algorithms”
    • Ethical Frameworks:
      • APA: Fidelity, integrity, and beneficence
      • NASW: Commitment to clients, informed technology use
      • NBCC: Emphasize competence and client welfare in tech-assisted services

    Breakout Prompt (5 min):

    • “What boundaries would you set with AI in your own practice?”
      • Participants reflect, then share in pairs or small groups.

    III. Expanded Practice & Demo: Creative Tools and Applications (40 minutes)

    Theme: Real-World Applications of AI in Clinical Practice

    • For Therapists:
      • AI-assisted documentation (e.g., SOAP notes auto-summarization)
      • Behavior tracking software with mood tagging (e.g., Quenza)
      • Emotion AI tools for session tone and content reflection
    • For Clients:
      • Suno Music: Custom therapeutic soundtracks
      • AI-generated Affirmations: Generated based on personalized goals or CBT themes
      • Meditations & Visual Decks: Created from client-selected words, themes, or moods
    • Creative Extensions:
      • AI journaling companions for emotional processing
      • Interactive psychoeducation materials
      • Storytelling or avatar-based therapeutic scenarios for children and teens

    Live Demo (10 min):

    • Record a 30-second therapist script or affirmation
    • Use Suno to generate a unique musical track
    • Combine into a relaxation or grounding tool
    • Optional: Participants try generating their own AI-based therapeutic content

    Practice Session (15–20 min):

    • Small groups or breakout rooms:
      • Each group creates a short AI-assisted tool (music, meditation script, or journaling prompt)
      • Present one example to the full group
    1. Group Integration & Closing Discussion (10 minutes)

    Theme: Reflect, Share, Integrate

    • Prompt Questions:
      • “What’s one insight you’re walking away with?”
      • “What will you try, question, or research next?”
    • Closing Message:
      • Wisdom guides innovation. Let your ethical compass lead your tech tools—not the other way around.
      • Embrace curiosity, caution, and compassion.
    • Resources & Bibliography Provided
      • APA Ethical Guidelines for AI
      • “Rewired” by Carl D. Marci (2022)
      • “The Future of Therapy in a Tech World” – Journal of Mental Health Technology, 2023

This workshop offers 3 Continuing Education Credits
This webinar is recorded and will not grant live credits.

This presentation is open to:
  • Social Workers
  • Professional Counselors
  • Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
  • Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
  • Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
Course Level: intermediate
Level of Clinician: intermediate
  • New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
  • Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
  • Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
  • Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives

Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.

Disability Access - If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification. Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling. The grievance policy for trainings provided by NEFESH INTERNATIONAL is available here Satisfactory Completion Participants must have paid the tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate (If this is a pre-recorded program, a post-test with a passing grade of 80% to receive a certificate.) Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion by clicking here.
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    CE You! maintains responsibility for this program.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0122.
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