An Exploratory Study on Counselor Assistant AI Tools Development: Needs, Concerns and Implementation

This preliminary study explores counselors’ perspectives on two areas relevant to the development of an AI assistant tools for counseling, based on open-ended survey responses from 45 licensed professional counselors with advanced certification, analyzed using CQR-M. In the area of needs for AI assistant tools, 3 categories and 11 subcategories were derived, including supporting session preparation and review, enhancing the effectiveness of in-session interventions, and efficiently providing tools that improve clients’ engagement. In the area of concerns about AI assistant tools, 4 categories and 9 subcategories were identified, including ethical issues, disruptions to the flow of counseling sessions, increased workload for counselors, and diminishing the role of counselors. Based on these findings, we propose a strategy for translating state-of-the-art AI techniques into counseling practice to meet counselors' needs while addressing their concerns.