Navigating the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Counseling: Implications for Counselor Identity, Ethics, and Counselor Education

Authors

• Anabel Mifsud, University of New Orleans, New OrleansFollow
• Barbara Herlihy, University of New Orleans, New OrleansFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1303-1928

Author Biography

Anabel Mifsud, Ph.D., NCC, is an Assistant Professor in the Counselor Education Program at the University of New Orleans. She earned her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from the same institution. Dr. Mifsud’s clinical experience includes working with individuals and couples experiencing homelessness and co-occurring disorders, persons living with HIV, and forcibly displaced populations, including refugees and asylum seekers. Her research interests include historical and intergenerational trauma, the internationalization of counseling and counselor education, clinical supervision and gatekeeping, professional ethics, and social justice and advocacy within the counseling profession.

Document Type

Article

Keywords

artificial intelligence (AI), counselor education, ethical implications, professional identity, therapeutic relationship

Subject Area

Counseling, Counselor Education

Abstract

This article examines the ethical, professional identity, and counselor education implications of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into counseling practice. As AI use expands in mental health care, it offers opportunities to enhance accessibility and efficiency while raising complex ethical concerns regarding competence, accountability, transparency, confidentiality, equity, and preservation of the therapeutic relationship. The authors explore how AI may reshape counselor roles and professional identity, underscoring the need to safeguard core values and the relational foundation of counseling. Recommendations are offered for adapting counselor education to prepare future practitioners for AI-augmented practice. The authors call for sustained, critical dialogue to ensure responsible AI integration that enhances the quality of care.

Public Significance Statement

This article examines how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping counseling practice, counselor education, and professional identity. As AI tools become increasingly integrated into mental health care, counselors face complex ethical and identity-related questions. The article underscores the importance of preserving the relational nature of counseling, grounded in genuine empathy and interpersonal connection, while integrating new technologies responsibly. It calls on counselor educators to prepare future practitioners by promoting AI literacy, ethical discernment, and the unique human-centered competencies essential to effective counseling. This work encourages proactive dialogue to ensure that technological advancements support, rather than undermine, the core values and relational foundations that define the counseling profession.

Recommended Citation

Mifsud, A., & Herlihy, B. (2026). Navigating the intersection of artificial intelligence and counseling: Implications for counselor identity, ethics, and counselor education. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 20(2), 1-20.