What Does AI Mean for Your Future as a Therapist?
70 independent MFTs shared how they're thinking about AI, professional identity and the future of independent practice.
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What the Study Discovered
See the key findings from 70 independent MFTs - including patterns that weren't obvious at the outset.
Does understanding AI better actually make therapists less concerned about it?
What happens when AI moves beyond administrative support and begins entering areas closer to clinical work?
What are therapists most concerned about losing as AI becomes more capable?
And could the qualities that make a therapist resilient in an AI-shaped future be different from what we might assume?
The full report explores these questions through both the survey data and therapists' own words.
What You'll Find in the Full Report
The 2026 AI Resilience Index goes beyond whether therapists are simply using AI. It explores what those choices may tell us about the changing nature of independent MFT practice.
What did the study actually discover?
See the key findings from 70 independent MFTs - including patterns that weren't obvious at the outset.
What was genuinely surprising?
Some of the findings challenged assumptions about AI adoption, understanding and professional concern.
What do the findings tell us about the future MFT?
Explore which human capabilities may become more - not less - important as AI becomes increasingly capable.
What does "AI Resilience" actually mean?
The report develops a practical framework for thinking about resilience without reducing therapists to simply “adopters” and “resistors.”
What might a therapist consider doing differently?
See the quantitative findings, qualitative responses, analytical approach and limitations behind the report.
The aim isn't to tell therapists what to think about AI. It's to provide better evidence for thinking about what comes next.
About the Study
The 2026 AI Resilience Index is an independent exploratory study examining how Marriage & Family Therapists are responding to AI - not only how they are using it, but how they are thinking about its implications for their professional identity and future practice.
70 Unique Respondents
The analysis is based on 70 unique respondents from independent MFT practice across the United States.
Quantitative and Qualitative
The study combines quantitative survey analysis with therapists' written responses to explore both measurable patterns and the thinking behind them.
Independently Conducted
The research was independently initiated and conducted by Leadslane, without sponsorship or commissioning by an AI company, platform, professional association or vendor.
Exploratory, Not Nationally Representative
This was a non-probability exploratory study. Its findings are intended to identify patterns, questions and areas for further investigation - not to claim that the sample statistically represents all U.S. MFTs.
Full methodology, analytical notes and study limitations are included in the research report.
The full report includes detailed methodology, limitations, response distributions, statistical analysis, qualitative coding, geographic coverage and data-cleaning procedures.
Get the Full Research Report
If AI is raising questions about the future of your practice - or even about what it will mean to be a therapist as the technology becomes more capable - this research was created to help you think those questions through.
The full 2026 AI Resilience Index brings together the findings from 70 independent MFTs, the patterns that emerged from their responses, and a framework for thinking about what may help therapists remain relevant and resilient in an AI-shaped future.
Your information will be used to provide access to the report and related Leadslane research communications. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Independent research. No AI company or platform sponsorship.
Researching Sustainable Private Practice
States to study the questions that quietly shape sustainable private practice - predictability, visibility, professional alignment, and the changing landscape of independent care.
Thoughtful Conversations, Limited Availability
To ensure that every conversation receives the time and attention it deserves, we intentionally limit the number of individual Private Practice Conversations we schedule each week.
Privacy & Data Integrity Note
© 2026. All rights reserved.
Leadslane.org is committed to protecting the privacy of the practitioners who participate in our research. We do not sell, rent, or distribute your contact information to third parties. Research findings are shared responsibly and, where appropriate, reported in aggregate form. Individual responses and professional conversations remain strictly confidential.
Research Director: Omkar Patel