Law & Ethics of the Clinical Use of Artificial Intelligence:

AI’s Evolving Role in Clinical Practice 

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm

Location: Virtual

Instructor: Dr. Eric Ström, Ph.D., JD, LMHC

CE credits: 3 (pending)

Course Description:

While new and emerging technologies can provide clinicians with powerful and effective clinical tools, such technologies also have the potential to create a range of new challenges. In this workshop we will address the specific legal and ethical implications of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning within the practice of behavioral health. We will identify and discuss the evolving standards found in federal law, state law, and in the professional codes of ethics. Participants will gain the ability to identify and implement a legally and ethically sound approach evaluating and implementing new AI technologies in clinical practice.. This course is intended to meet law & ethics CEU requirements.

Learning objectives. 

At the end of this training participants will be able to:

1. Identify the emerging ethical standards relating to clinical use of AI
2. Apply federal HIPAA standards to the use of AI powered clinical tools
3. Create strategies to effectively evaluate the clinical applicability of new technologies
4. Apply legal and ethical standards regarding the use of AI to clinical practice with military veteran clients

References:

Abrams, Z. (2024). Addressing equity and ethics in artificial intelligence. Monitor on Psychology, 55(3), 24.

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2026). AAMFT code of ethics. The revised code became effective January 1, 2026.

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics.

American Counseling Association AI Work Group. (2025). Recommendations for practicing counselors and their use of AI.

American Mental Health Counselors Association. (2020). AMHCA code of ethics.

American Mental Health Counselors Association. (2023). AMHCA code of ethics addendum: Addressing artificial intelligence: 2023.

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017).

American Psychological Association. (2025). APA Journals policy on generative AI: Additional guidance. Updated August 2025.

Caldwell, B. E., Bischoff, R. J., Derrig-Palumbo, K. A., & Liebert, J. D. (2017). Best practices in the online practice of couple and family therapy. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Faughnan, M. (2023, May 30). Use the right tool for the job. Faughnan on Ethics.

IBM Data and AI Team. (2023, October 16). Shedding light on AI bias with real-world examples. IBM.

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. (2025). NAADAC/NCC AP code of ethics.

National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers.

National Board for Certified Counselors. (2023). NBCC code of ethics.

National Board for Certified Counselors. (2024). Ethical principles for artificial intelligence in counseling.

OpenAI. (2024, October 23). Terms of use.

Rubeis, G. (2022). iHealth: The ethics of artificial intelligence and big data in mental healthcare. Internet Interventions, 28, 100518. doi:10.1016/j.invent.2022.100518.

Schwartz, R., Vassilev, A., Greene, K. K., Perine, L., Burt, A., & Hall, P. (2022). Towards a standard for identifying and managing bias in artificial intelligence (NIST Special Publication 1270). National Institute of Standards and Technology. doi:10.6028/NIST.SP.1270.

Simon, R. I. (1992). Treatment boundary violations: Clinical, ethical, and legal considerations. Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 20(3), 269–288.

Tidy, J. (2024, January 5). Character.ai: Young people turning to AI therapist bots. BBC News.

Legal authorities

15 U.S.C. § 9401 (2026).

45 C.F.R. § 160.103 (2026).

45 C.F.R. § 164.502(e) (2026).

45 C.F.R. § 164.504(e) (2026).

45 C.F.R. § 164.514(b)(2)(i) (2026).

Exec. Order No. 14,179, 90 Fed. Reg. 8741 (2025).

Exec. Order No. 14,365, 90 Fed. Reg. 58499 (2025).

Mata v. Avianca, Inc., 678 F. Supp. 3d 443 (S.D.N.Y. 2023).

Nev. Rev. Stat. § 433.567 (2025).

Nev. Rev. Stat. § 629.610 (2025).

N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law art. 47, §§ 1700–1704 (2025).

Utah H.B. 452, 2025 Gen. Sess. (Utah 2025).

Wash. Rev. Code § 70.02.010 (2026).