Do I think AI can replace hands-on therapists? No.
Do I think AI can save us work? Yes
Therapists are hands-on humans, that is our purpose and our strength. However, being a therapist isn’t just about the treatment bit. For most of us we need the admin bit, the marketing bit, the customer service bit, the employee bit, the legal bit, the accounting bit, the repairs bit... need I say more?
What if there was something that could help us with the other tasks, the ones we didn’t spend years training to for so we can work with clients? Well there is, it’s called AI. I know, I know, we hear some scary things about it, but what about the effort it can take away from us in areas where we are not the experts. AI listens to other experts and we can tap into their knowledge if we know how to.
I have been trying to learn the language of AI and my first lesson was in LLM, Large Language Model, which in simple terms means it can summarise and translate human-like words from a huge vocabulary in every language (I haven’t tested every language!) If you want to know what words to use on Instagram to promote say reflexology, simply ask ‘what words are currently gaining good interaction on Instagram for reflexology treatments’. AI will give you a list to then write your own post in your own way. Perhaps you could ask ‘give me ideas to market my therapy business in the current UK (or other) market’, and it will, try it. Once you get used to asking the right questions it can be like having a marketing expertise at your fingertips.
If you want to build your reputation as an expert in an area then it is generally recommended to show authenticity and knowledge when writing stories, posts, articles, blogs etc. Experts tell us to show up as our real self, but AI can provide guidelines so we don’t always have to start with a blank sheet of paper. Once you are using the correct language AI will search and think ‘ooh, you’re an expert, I will add you to my list of contacts and information when I am next asked that question’, well probably not in those words but you get my drift. We are not marketing experts so why not use AI as our free expert to generate ideas?
Once you have written something you could ask AI to critique it as you might a copywriter, only AI will do it for free. A word of caution though, don’t be tempted to only use the AI version, we are all becoming aware of when something is totally AI written. This is not authentic, and doesn’t show you as the expert, it is false and can be perceived to be of less value.
We can also utilise AI for admin tasks or things beyond our knowledge; accounting tasks or contract writing. It can give us ideas to spark creativity, but be wary of using it totally for marketing purposes. Let AI make life easier and simpler, treat it like another member of the team. Don’t rely on it, but work with it. You wouldn’t give all your authority or authenticity away to a colleague so don’t give it to AI, but use it for more admin style tasks and ideas. Let it do the background work so you can enjoy more of what you are trained to do, working with real humans.