Ethics and AI in Mental Health Care – Responsible and Clinically Sound Use of LLMs
General Information
Title: Ethics and Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health Care: Responsible and Clinically Sound Use of Large Language Models with Shannon Wiltsey Stirman, PhD
Presenter: Shannon Wiltsey Stirman, PhD
Dates: Thursday, February 11, 2027. 9:00am - 1:00pm ET.
Fee: $95. Early bird until 11/1 $65
Venue: Live Webinar (Zoom)
CE Credits: 3.75
Ethics and AI in Mental Health Care – Responsible and Clinically Sound Use of LLMs
Description
This interactive continuing education program provides an overview of current and emerging uses of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) in clinical mental health care, along with evidence-based approaches to integrating these technologies ethically and responsibly. Through didactic instruction, clinical case vignettes, and experiential exercises, participants will examine clinical decision-making, privacy and confidentiality, bias and equity, informed consent, and professional responsibilities when using emerging AI tools. Topics include how LLMs work and where they prove to be unreliable or biased; the distinction between general-purpose and purpose-built clinical AI; consumer “wellness” chatbots and the current regulatory landscape; discussion about the use of AI with clients, AI clinical documentation, triage, and therapist-training tools; and HIPAA and vendor-evaluation requirements.
The program is grounded in current peer-reviewed research and established professional standards, including the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2017), HIPAA requirements for protected health information, and published evaluation frameworks for AI in mental health such as the READI framework (Stade et al., 2025). Participants will apply a structured ethical decision-making framework to real-world clinical dilemmas, evaluate vendor Terms of Service and Business Associate Agreements, and draft a preliminary AI-use policy for their practice setting. No prior technical background is required.
Instructors
Shannon Wiltsey Stirman is a Clinical Psychologist and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford. She is the co-director of the Center for Responsible and Effective AI Technology Enhancement for PTSD Treatment (CREATE) at Stanford. She is also a co-lead of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science’s Mental Health Innovation and Technology Hub. Most recently, she has been working on the use of Large Language Models to support evidence-based mental health interventions. She is the co-author of Getting Unstuck from PTSD: Using Cognitive Processing Therapy to Guide Your Recovery. She has trained and consulted with clinicians nationally and internationally in evidence-based treatments.
Ethics and AI in Mental Health Care – Responsible and Clinically Sound Use of LLMs
Objectives
1. Define large language models (LLMs) and describe their principal capabilities and limitations in clinical mental health settings.
2. Identify specific clinical use cases for LLM-based tools (e.g., documentation, psychoeducation, triage, therapist training), explain corresponding risks of each, and discuss how to have conversations about AI use for mental health with clients
3. Apply an ethical decision-making framework addressing autonomy, beneficence, justice, and privacy to AI-related clinical dilemmas, and evaluate vendor Terms of Service and Business Associate Agreements for HIPAA compliance.
4. Describe how algorithmic bias enters AI systems and list strategies for bias mitigation, equity auditing, and organizational AI-use policy.
CE Information
Continuing Education Credits are granted through Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC for the following professions: Psychologists, Social workers, Mental Health Counselors, LMFTs, and LCATs. It is the participant’s responsibility to check with their individual state boards to verify CE requirements for their state.
Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.
APA
Nachas Consulting is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
ASWB
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC, 2035, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/02/2025 – 08/02/2028 Social workers completing this course receive 3.75 clinical continuing education credits.
NBCC
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting PLLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7503. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
New York State Social Workers
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0785.
New York State Mental Health Counselors
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Mental Health Counselor #MHC-0195
New York State Psychology
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0072.
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Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0121.
New York State Creative Arts Therapist
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0112.
References
Blease, C., & Rodman, A. (2024). Generative artificial intelligence in mental healthcare: an ethical evaluation. Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry, 12(1), 5.
Obermeyer, Z., Powers, B., Vogeli, C., & Mullainathan, S. (2019). Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations. Science, 366(6464), 447–453. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax2342
Stade, E. C., Wiltsey Stirman, S., Ungar, L. H., Boland, C. L., Schwartz, H. A., Yaden, D. B., Sedoc, J., DeRubeis, R. J., Willer, R., & Eichstaedt, J. C. (2024). Large language models could change the future of behavioral healthcare: A proposal for responsible development and evaluation. npj Mental Health Research, 3, Article 12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-024-00056-z
Stade, E. C., Eichstaedt, J. C., Kim, J. P., & Wiltsey Stirman, S. (2025). Readiness Evaluation for Artificial Intelligence–Mental Health Deployment and Implementation (READI): A review and proposed framework. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000163
Satisfactory Completion:
Participants must have signed in and out, attended the entire workshop to receive a certificate. Failure to sign/log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available electronically after satisfactory course completion. A link will be provided for those who have completed the training.
Ethics and AI in Mental Health Care – Responsible and Clinically Sound Use of LLMs
Policies
Application Deadline: February 9, 2027 or until all training spaces are filled, whichever comes first.
Notification of Acceptance
Applicants will be notified, via email, of acceptance when registration is complete, and payment is received.
Refund/Cancellation Policy
Tuition/registration payments are refundable until January 11, 2027. Cancellations after this date are non-refundable. In this situation, we will attempt to find someone to take your slot (based on our waiting list).
Accessibility
There will be handicap accessibility.
Course level
Level of clinician
Our Grievance Policy for trainings is available here.
Ethics and AI in Mental Health Care – Responsible and Clinically Sound Use of LLMs
Schedule
| Thursday, February 11, 2027. 9:00am - 1:00pm ET. | 9:00–9:15 (15 min): Welcome, introductions, and pre-workshop poll 9:15–10:00 (45 min): Module 1 — Foundations: What LLMs are and are not, use cases (didactic with interactive polling) 10:00–11:00 (60 min): Module 2 — Clinical vignettes and ethical dilemmas (small-group case analysis using the ETHICAL framework; large-group debrief) 11:00–11:15 (15 min): Break 11:15–12:00 (45 min): Module 3 — Privacy, security, and vendor evaluation (didactic with hands-on Terms of Service/BAA evaluation exercise) 12:00–12:30 (30 min): Module 4 — Equity, bias, and algorithmic fairness (didactic with structured reflection) 12:30–12:50 (20 min): Module 5 — Building your practice AI-use policy (collaborative policy-drafting activity) 12:50–1:00 (10 min): Wrap-up, post-workshop poll, and Q&A |
Ethics and AI in Mental Health Care – Responsible and Clinically Sound Use of LLMs
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