The Chatbot Will See You Now: Big Tech In Therapy (from Organized Money)

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of technology in therapy, focusing on data privacy and corporate practices in mental health care.

One place you might assume is safe from prying ears is your therapy session.  But as more therapists struggle to negotiate with insurers, they’re turning to tech middlemen like BetterHelp and Headway that promise to take care of the insurance admin and match them with patients.  And these companies are sometimes recording and transcribing your sessions — and then turning around and sharing that data with social media companies and investors. And there are concerns that these confidential discussions could be used to train the next generation of chatbot therapists. So this week, we’re bringing you an episode from our pals at  Organized Money , a show about corporate consolidation and monopolies, where they speak with Linda Michaels, a psychologist and co-founder of the Psychotherapy Action Network, about the tech companies sneaking into your therapy sessions and how we got here. And they share some good news: How one state, Illinois, passed a law in 2025 that could be a national model for encouraging more therapists to stay in-network, and ultimately, reduce reliance on these platforms.  For more on mental health coverage: Check out  our…

People in this episode

Guest: Linda Michaels

Topics covered

• therapy
• technology
• mental health
• insurance
• data privacy
• corporate consolidation

Keywords

• therapy sessions
• BetterHelp
• Headway
• data sharing
• mental health coverage
• ghost networks
• Illinois law

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BetterHelp, Headway, Organized Money, Psychotherapy Action Network

Places: Illinois

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