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Navigating A.I. therapy

The use of artificial intelligence for therapy is growing, including for minors. AI makes therapy more accessible. But clinicians want to make sure kids get medically sound advice and stay safe.

We weigh the pros and cons of this mental health approach with Dr. Steven Schlozman, the chief of child psychiatry at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, as well as an associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at UVM’s Larner College of Medicine, and Shannon Newell, who works with the Greater Rutland County Supervisory Union and is president of the Vermont Association of School Psychologists.

Plus: Dartmouth researchers recently conducted the first-ever clinical trial of an AI therapy chatbot. Nicholas Jacobson is the study’s senior author. He’s an associate professor of biomedical data science, psychiatry, and computer science at Dartmouth. He also directs the AIM HIGH Lab at Dartmouth, which stands for AI and Mental Health: Innovation in Technology Guided Healthcare.

Broadcast live on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.