A Humanistic Social Justice Critique of AI in Counseling
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Humanistic counselors prioritize social justice, human contact, the therapeutic relationship, and unconditional positive regard for the client that supports the client and the client's identity community. In contrast, counseling using artificial intelligence (AI) is driven by internet information pertaining to the inquiry or command, reflecting the hegemony of the dominant culture and presenting challenges that threaten the integrity and intent of social justice humanistic counseling. AI counseling will ignore the complex identities and communities of persons seeking help and remove the essential human relationship from the counseling process. This ultimately violates the principles of humanistic social justice counseling.
DOI: 10.1002/johc.70051
Authors: Colette T. Dollarhide, Amber Baughman
Institutions: The Ohio State University, University of South Carolina
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,900
OpenAlex ID: W7166143774