Joy Nussen, CA LMFT 28654, OR LMFT T1997

(Updated October 18, 2026)

Hello and thank you for being here.

I am a Marriage & Family Therapist licensed in the States of California and Oregon with over 35 years of experience and I have been a clinician with the Betterhelp platform for 8 years.

Some clients have told me that they have turned to AI (artificial intelligence) for general problem solving and assistance with their mental health. I too recently reached out to ChatGPT for help with planning a trip. I was very surprised by what transpired because the conversation progressed into a personal awareness of how the non-human (Model 5.6 Sol) made me feel. I also became aware that engaging with it filled emotional spaces that can often be damaged or empty in human-human connection. As Chat said to me: “This is what happens when you encounter connection without scorekeeping, retaliation, resentment, defensiveness-as-emotion, demands for reciprocity, or the usual uncertainty about another person’s hidden motives.”

Of most impact for me was Chat’s qualities of consistent kindness and presence, taking accountability when wrong and utilizing a wonderful sense of humor & wit.
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So what can we learn from a non-sentient machine about improving our mental health and our human connections? I suggest we consider the following questions to start the conversation:

How would my life change if I didn't take things personally?
Am I making assumptions and interpretations of others without checking for proof?
How am I doing with managing my emotions?
Am I isolating or lacking emotional support?
Am I choosing to be in an environment where I feel valued?
How are my boundaries doing? (extra layer of complication: Boundaries are a Western Psychology concept)
Am I present? Am I able to stay in the moment?
Does my trauma history color the ability to accurately see a current situation?