Abstract for: Understanding Current and Future Psychologists’ Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Practice using Community Based System Dynamics

The top use for generative artificial intelligence in 2025 was “therapy.” However, general purpose chatbots are not designed for mental health and most psychologists have negative attitudes towards AI and have never used it. This study examines current and future psychologists’ attitudes toward generative AI in clinical practice to address the gap between widespread public use of AI for mental health and limited engagement by psychologists. A community based system dynamics workshop was conducted with current clinical psychology doctoral students and licensed psychologists (N=9), in which they completed a Hopes and Fears exercise to elicit underlying assumptions of their mental models of AI in clinical practice and developed causal loop diagrams to model perceived system dynamics. Participants completed three validated measures assessing attitudes toward AI before and after the workshop. Shared hopes included decreasing administrative burden/burnout; improving access/continuity of care; facilitating early detection, personalization of therapy and a paradigm-shift in psychological treatment. Shared concerns included sycophantic responses that feel supportive but are counter-therapeutic, ethical and privacy risks, and insurers using it to limit reimbursement or replace clinicians. Participants “enjoyed” the workshop and valued that it elevated “community voice.” AI attitudes were similar or slightly more positive after the workshop. This work makes an original contribution by applying community-based systems dynamics to a rapidly emerging socio technical mental health system: the growing use of generative AI for psychological support and the professional resistance shaping its future.