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AI in the Therapist’s Office
2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY
DECEMBER 2025
Copyright © 2025 by the American Psychological Association. This material may be reproduced and distributed without permission provided that acknowledgment is 
given to the American Psychological Association. 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. 
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY 1
INTRODUCTION
Psychologists are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) tools in their practices, but their concerns 
about how the technology may affect their patients and society are also rising, according to the 
2025 Practitioner Pulse Survey by the American Psychological Association and its companion 
organization, APA Services Inc. 
Though few psychologists use AI for clinical assistance, these tools may become an increasingly 
important part of routine administrative work, such as research and writing, as more experiment 
with AI. In the past year, the number of psychologists who reported that they had never used AI 
to assist with their practices fell dramatically from 71% in 2024 to 44% in 2025. And close to three 
in 10 respondents (29%) said they use AI on at least a monthly basis – more than twice as many 
who said the same in 2024 (11%).
Despite the growing use of new technologies, psychologists continue to struggle to overcome 
burdens including insurance requirements and demands for treatment. Fewer than two-thirds of 
psychologists (62%) said that they accept some form of insurance, and even fewer accept public 
insurance plans like traditional fee-for-service Medicare (33%) and traditional fee-for-service 
Medicaid (20%).
And while psychologists’ stress levels and work-life balance have improved since the onset of the 
COVID-19 pandemic, this does not necessarily indicate the mental health crisis has resolved. Nearly 
half of all practitioners saw an increase in the severity of their clients’ symptoms (45%) and said 
that they do not have openings for new patients (46%).
2   AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION  2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY
GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT DATA BREACHES, BIAS IN AI 
As more psychologists turn to AI for routine administrative tasks, they are also raising concerns about risks such 
as data breaches, biases in the inputs and outputs and overall harm to society. 
FIGURE 1. 
In 2024, a majority of practitioners (71%) said they 
had never used AI tools to assist with their work. One 
year later, the percentage of psychologists who had 
never used AI tools has dramatically decreased to 44%. 
Most practitioners reported in 2025 that they have 
used AI at work at least once, and the percentage who 
reported using AI tools at work on at least a monthly 
basis had risen to 29%, up from 11% in 2024. Close to 
one in 10 (8%) reported using AI tools daily over the 
past 12 months. 
Much of this use is being driven by practitioners earlier 
in their careers. While more than half of late senior career 
psychologists (52%) and 44% of senior career 
psychologists1 have never used AI to assist with their 
work, only 37% of early career psychologists and 36% 
of mid-career practitioners said they have never used AI. 
1 Psychologists in the survey were divided into career stages based on the number of years that have passed since they earned a doctorate. Early career 
psychologists earned their degree 10 or fewer years ago, mid-career psychologists earned their degree 11-20 years ago, senior career psychologists 
earned their degree 21-30 years ago and late senior career psychologists earned their degree 31 or more years ago.
Psychologists’ Use of AI to Assist in Their Work in the Past 12 Months, 2024-2025
% of psychologists reporting frequency of AI use
■ 2025 ■ 2024
8%Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Several 
times
Once
Never
2%
5%
4%
12%
20%
6%
71%
14%
7%
8%
44%
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY 3
Among practitioners who reported using AI at work, more than half (52%) said that they used AI for writing assistance. 
Other common uses included content generation (33%), summarization (32%) and note-taking and dictation (22%). 
FIGURE 2. 
Approximately a third of practitioners (34%) said they didn’t know what would be the biggest benefits of using 
AI tools in psychology, but a higher percentage (42%) said that AI could help improve operational efficiencies 
and reduce administrative burdens. About 27% of practitioners said that AI could help providers consume and 
summarize publicized, scientifically validated data, and 18% said AI could improve patient education. When asked 
whether advancements in technology were helping them work more efficiently and accurately, a majority of 
practitioners agreed (62%).
Common Work Tasks Completed by Psychologists with AI, 2025
% of all psychologists who used AI in the past year
Writing assistance
Content generation
Summarizing notes 
or articles
Other
52%
33%
32%
Chatbot assistance 
for patients/clients 5%
Clinical diagnosis 
assistance 8%
Data analysis 11%
17%
Types of AI tools 
used at work in the 
past 12 months
Note-taking 
or dictation 22%
Task automation 12%
4   AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION  2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY
FIGURE 3. 
Along with this growth in usage, potential concerns with AI increased since 2024 as psychologists became more 
familiar with the technology. In 2024, more than one in five practitioners (23%) said they did not know what the 
biggest concerns would be with using AI tools in psychology – but that percentage fell to nearly one in 10 (8%) in 
2025. The most commonly cited concerns were potential data breaches (67%), unanticipated social harms (64%), 
biased input and output (63%), lack of rigorous testing (61%) and inaccurate outputs (60%). Most concerns about 
the risks of AI grew by around 10 percentage points between 2024 and 2025. Other than improving efficiencies, 
perceived benefits of AI did not change much since 2024. 
Nearly two in five practitioners (38%) agreed or strongly agreed that they were concerned that AI may make 
some or all their job duties obsolete in the future, up from 27% in 2024. However, psychologists may expect to 
have some protection from AI replacement due to the varied nature of human behavior. Psychologists rely on a 
Psychologists’ Reported Benefits of AI in Psychology, 2024-2025
% of all psychologists
■ 2025 ■ 2024
Improves operational 
efficiencies
Summarizes 
research 
Educates patients 
Reduces burnout 
Supports clinical 
decisions 
Improves care access 
Improves 
engagement 
Fosters disease 
detection 
Other 
I don’t know 
42%
33%
27%
21%
18%
20%
16%
12%
11%
12%
Improves precision 
7%
10%
6%
9%
5%
5%
3%
6%
7%
5%
34%
52%
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY 5
wide range of complex factors to make clinical decisions in a way that technology is unable to match yet. As such, 
the least common reported uses for AI included clinical diagnostic assistance (8%) and chatbot assistance (5%), 
and only 11% said that a benefit of AI could be support for clinical decision-making.
FIGURE 4. 
Psychologists’ Reported Concerns about AI in Psychology, 2024-2025
% of all psychologists
■ 2025 ■ 2024
Potential data 
breaches
Social harms
Biased inputs 
and outputs
Lack of testing
Inaccurate output 
and hallucinations
Replacement 
of human labor
Other
I don’t know
67%
59%
64%
54%
63%
54%
61%
51%
60%
44%
Lack of transparency
52%
46%
38%
28%
9%
5%
8%
23%
6   AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION  2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY
LITTLE CHANGE IN INSURANCE PARTICIPATION SINCE 2024
Practitioners continue to report administrative and financial barriers that make it difficult to participate in insurance 
networks, as more than a third of psychologists (38%) reported that they did not accept any form of health 
insurance. Among psychologists who did accept a form of insurance, 10% said they had stopped participatingin 
a private or commercial insurance panel within the past year.
FIGURE 5. 
Three in five psychologists (62%) reported accepting some form of insurance – most commonly private or commercial 
insurance. Over half (55%) accepted private or commercial insurance, a third (33%) accepted traditional fee-for-
service Medicare, and a fifth (20%) accepted traditional fee-for-service Medicaid. These proportions did not 
meaningfully change since 2024, except for traditional fee-for service-Medicaid, which rose from 16% in 2024. 
Practitioners early in their careers were the most likely to accept insurance (67%), compared with mid-career 
psychologists (63%), senior career psychologists (59%) and late career psychologists (62%). Early career 
psychologists accepted traditional fee-for-service Medicaid more readily (25%) than the most advanced career 
stages. Late senior career psychologists accepted traditional fee-for-service Medicare more readily (42%) than 
any other career stage. 
Psychologist Participation in Insurance Plans, 2025
% of all psychologists
Are you currently in-network with any private or public insurance panels? 
Which of the following plans do you participate in?
Yes
No 38%
62%
Traditional Fee-for-Service 
Medicare 
Medicare Advantage 
Managed Medicaid 
Something else
Traditional Fee-for-Service 
Medicaid 
Private/Commercial Insurance 55%
33%
23%
20%
19%
4%
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY 7
FIGURE 6. 
For practitioners who did not accept insurance, or who stopped participating in some form of public or private 
insurance panels in the past year, financial issues remained a key barrier. The most common barriers psychologists 
cited to accepting insurance plans were insufficient reimbursement amounts (75%), administrative issues with 
insurance payers (57%) and concerns about payment reliability (43%). More than a third (38%) also cited denial 
of coverage for services they deem necessary and appropriate for their patients.
FIGURE 7. 
Insurance Psychologists Accepted by Career Stage, 2025
% of all psychologists
■ Early Career (10 or Fewer Years Since Doctorate) ■ Mid-Career (11-20 Years Since Doctorate)
■ Senior Career (21-30 Years Since Doctorate) ■ Late Senior Career (31+ Years Since Doctorate)
0%
100%
Any insurance Private 
insurance
Medicare 
Advantage
Traditional
Medicaid
Managed 
Medicaid
Something
else
Traditional 
Medicare
67%
63%
59%
62% 61%
57%
53% 53%
25%
32% 30%
42%
21%
25% 24% 24% 25%
22%
19% 17%
24% 23%
16% 14%
3% 5%
3% 4%
Psychologists' Top Barriers to Insurance Participation, 2025
% of psychologists who do not accept insurance or stopped accepting a form of insurance in the past year
Something else
Insufficient 
reimbursement
Administrative 
issues
Payment reliability
Denial of 
necessary services
Issues joining panel
75%
57%
43%
38%
10%
20%
8   AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION  2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY
NEARLY HALF OF PSYCHOLOGISTS STILL HAVE NO CAPACITY FOR NEW CLIENTS
While practitioners’ workloads appear to be improving since a spike in demand in the early years of the COVID-19 
pandemic, about half (46%) of practitioners reported having no openings for new patients and 40% currently 
have a waitlist for new clients. A similar percentage (45%) reported an increase in symptom severity among 
patients. Some practice patterns were marked by increases followed by decreases, such as increases in treatment 
course length, inability to meet demand, and burnout.
The majority of psychologists said that they had maintained their workload since last year; 59% said they were 
working the same amount as they did 12 months ago and 56% said they were treating the same number of clients. 
Only one in five psychologists said they were working more (20%) or less (21%) than they did 12 months ago. 
However, stabilizing practice patterns do not necessarily indicate the mental health crisis has resolved; limited 
capacity for new patients, increases in symptom severity and increases in length of treatment course restrict 
psychologists’ ability to fully meet needs for health services. Among psychologists who do not have a waitlist, 22% 
said they do not have the capacity to manage a waitlist and 9% said that too many people were requesting services. 
FIGURE 8. 
Changes in Psychologists’ Workload and Well-Being from 2020-2025
2025
2023
38%
2024 44%
42%
Close to two in five psychologists say they are 
also seeing an increase in the length of treatment 
course among their patients
% of psychologists who agree/strongly agree
2025
2023
2022
2021
46%
2024 53%
56%
60%
65%
Although overall treatment capacity seems to be 
improving, about half of psychologists today still 
have no opening for new patients
% of psychologists with no openings for new patients
2025
2023
2022
2021
22%
2024 32%
42%
46%
41%
2020 30%
One in five say they have not been able to meet 
the demand for treatment from their patients
% of psychologists who agree/strongly agree
64%
65%
2025
2023
2022
2021
45%
2024 51%
52%
Close to half also say that they are seeing an increase in 
the severity of symptoms among patients
% of psychologists who agree/strongly agree
2025
2023
2022
2021
34%
2024 32%
36%
45%
48%
2020 41%
One-third of psychologists say they feel burned 
out, fewer than during the early years of the 
COVID-19 pandemic
% of psychologists who agree/strongly agree
*The questions about openings for new clients and symptom severity were introduced in 2021, and the question 
about treatment length was introduced in 2023.
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY 9
In addition, psychologists earlier in their careers continued to feel burned out at higher rates than psychologists 
who were later in their careers. Approximately half of early career practitioners (51%) either agreed or strongly 
agreed that they feel burned out compared with 16% of practitioners in the most advanced career stage. Overall, 
34% of practitioners said that they felt burned out, and close to one in five (19%) said that they were not able to 
maintain a positive work-life balance.
When asked to rate their stress on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 meant they had “little or no stress” and 10 
meant they had “a great deal of stress,” early career psychologists on average rated their stress higher than 
those later in their careers. For psychologists who earned their doctorate in the past 10 years, the average 
stress rating was 6.29 – similar to those who earned their doctorate 11-20 years ago (6.32). Psychologists in 
the latest stage of their careers rated their stress a 5.14 on average. 
FIGURE 9. 
Psychologists Who Feel Burned Out, 2025
% of psychologists by career stage
Overall
Early Career 
(0-10 Years 
Since Doctorate)
Mid-Career 
(11-20 Years 
Since Doctorate)
Senior Career 
(21-30 Years 
Since Doctorate)
Late Senior Career 
(31+ Years 
Since Doctorate)
34%
51%
44%
33%
16%
1 0   AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION  2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY
In 2020, almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents were treating their patients entirely by telehealth. Five years 
later, this rate fell to 21%. Since 2023, hybrid practice (treating patients both in-person and with remote modalities) 
has been common; approximately two-thirds of practitioners engaged in hybrid practice (67% in 2023, 69% in 
2024, and 65% in 2025). 
FIGURE 10. 
Psychologists’ Telehealth Use, 2020-2025
% of all psychologists
■ In person only ■ Hybrid ■ Remotely only
2025 14% 65% 21%
2024 12% 69% 19%
2023 13% 67% 21%
2022 11% 58% 31%
2021 4% 49% 47%
2020 3% 33% 64%
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY 11
METHODOLOGY
The 2025 Practitioner Pulse Survey is the most recent survey cycle of a series of annual, online surveys conducted 
by the APA that explores psychologists’ practice patterns. Contact information for the 2025 survey was drawn 
from APA membershipdata as well as state licensing board data and used to create a probability-based sample. 
Of the 30,000 survey invitations sent via email, 26,502 were received, and 1,742 respondents completed the 
survey for a completion rate of 6.6%. Eligibility criteria included all the following: having a doctoral degree, having 
a psychologist license, actively working, and treating patients.
For more information about the 2025 Practitioner Pulse Survey (technical documentation of the methodology 
and sample, complete topline table results, and survey instrument), see the supplementary documents linked 
with the release of this report at: https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner
For reports and data on previous cycles of this survey, see:
American Psychological Association. (2020). 2020 COVID-19 Telehealth Practitioner Survey. https://www.apa.
org/workforce/publications/response-coronavirus 
American Psychological Association. (2021). Worsening mental health crisis pressures psychologist workforce: 
2021 COVID-19 Practitioner survey. https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/covid-19-2021 
American Psychological Association. (2022). Psychologists struggle to meet demand amid mental health crisis: 
2022 COVID-19 Practitioner Impact Survey. https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/2022-covid- 
psychologist-workload 
American Psychological Association. (2023). Psychologists reaching their limits as patients present with worsening 
symptoms year after year: 2023 Practitioner Pulse Survey. https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/ 
2023-psychologist-reach-limits
American Psychological Association. (2024). Barriers to care in a changing practice environment: 2024 Practitioner 
Pulse Survey. https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/2024
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner
https://www.apa.org/workforce/publications/response-coronavirus
https://www.apa.org/workforce/publications/response-coronavirus
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/covid-19-2021
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/2022-covid-psychologist-workload
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/2022-covid-psychologist-workload
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/2023-psychologist-reach-limits
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/2023-psychologist-reach-limits
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/2024
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2024 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY 12
2025 PRACTITIONER PULSE SURVEY
American Psychological Association 
Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President
Alicia Aebersold Chief Communications Officer
Karen Stamm, PhD Senior Director, Center for Workforce Studies
C. Vaile Wright, PhD Senior Director, Health Care Innovation
Marnie Shanbhag, PhD Senior Director of Independent Practice
Allen Richman, PhD Senior Director of Strategic Insights
Stephen Gillaspy, PhD Deputy Chief, Health Policy and Healthcare Financing
Nadika Paranamana, PsyD Director, EDI Implementation and Evaluation
Leanna Fortunato, PhD Director of Quality and Innovation
Alissa Fogg, PhD Senior Advisor to the CEO
Jennifer Weng, PhD Data Analyst
Cory Page, MPH, MPP Senior Research Officer
Kim I. Mills, MA Senior Director, Strategic External Communications and Public Affairs
Sophie Bethune Director, Strategic Communications Initiatives
Katherine Novak Manager, Strategic Communications
Callie Strobel Senior Graphic Design and Brand Manager
To Cite This Report: 
American Psychological Association (2025). 
AI in the Therapist’s Office: 2025 Practitioner Pulse Survey.
Copyright © 2025 by the American Psychological Association. 
apa.org
http://www.apa.org