Research question
RQ 1
What are the possibilities and limitations of artificial intelligence in the psychotherapeutic process?
Verbatim from Ch. 1.4 — Research Questions
The thesis’ answer
The thesis answers this question in Ch. 6.1.1 — FF1 – Possibilities and Limitations of AI.
Key passages
- Ch. 1.2 1.2 Problem statement and relevance
Research to date has focused primarily on functional aspects and symptom reduction: recent studies show that chatbots (such as Woebot) are indeed successful in providing support for mental health issues and are sometimes even perceived as …
- Ch. 5.1 5.1 Effectiveness, Areas of Application and the Concept of a Tool
The most robust evidence comes from the Therabot study (Heinz et al., 2025), the first randomised controlled trial of a fully generative AI therapy system (n = 210). It recorded clinically significant reductions in symptoms across all …
- Ch. 5.1 5.1 Effectiveness, Areas of Application and the Concept of a Tool
The therapeutic triad clearly defines the roles: the AI is the tool, the therapist is the ‘you’, and the encounter takes place exclusively between people. The AI is a medium comparable to therapeutic music or other creative tools. For …
- Ch. 5.2 5.2 Therapeutic Alliance and Empathy in Human–AI Interaction
The fact that this bond is not sustainable in Bordin’s sense is demonstrated by its dependence on an illusion. Rubin et al. (2025) provide empirical evidence for the empathy paradox: as soon as the AI origin of an empathetic statement …
- Ch. 5.3 5.3 Risks and Limitations
In a controlled study, Moore et al. (2025) demonstrate that leading AI systems react inappropriately to psychotic and delusional content in around 70 per cent of cases. They often reinforce the delusion rather than countering it with a …
- Ch. 6.1 6.1 Interpretation of the results
This answers the first research question. As a tool , AI is useful: people treat it as an object, an ’it’. But it fails when it comes to the encounter: it cannot be a ’you’. What remains beyond its reach is not an aspect of the …
Chapters addressing this question
1.2 Problem statement and relevance
Empirical research into psychotherapy shows that psychotherapy is not primarily effective because of any specific method or technique; rather, …
1.4 Research Questions
To theoretically examine the tension between technological simulation and human encounter, this thesis is structured around three research questions.
4.1 The lack of corporeality: echo instead of resonance
The body (embodied and emotive) was established in Chapter 3.1 as a central diagnostic and therapeutic tool. An AI lacks this tool: however powerful …
4.2 The missing contact boundary: simulation instead of encounter
AI lacks not only a body, but also the place where encounter takes place. Gestalt therapy has a term for this: the contact boundary; and a second …
5.1 Effectiveness, Areas of Application and the Concept of a Tool
Generative AI will transform the landscape of psychotherapy. The question is therefore not whether it will become established, but what it can …
5.2 Therapeutic Alliance and Empathy in Human–AI Interaction
More and more people are seeking advice from chatbots, and a bond does indeed develop in the process. An integrative review by Malouin-Lachance et …
5.3 Risks and Limitations
In a controlled study, Moore et al. (2025) demonstrate that leading AI systems react inappropriately to psychotic and delusional content in around 70 …