UW-Stout marriage and family therapy professor awarded for advancing AI integration with therapy

Hessel receives Carl Whitaker Award from state professional association

Menomonie, Wis. – For her creative and innovative contributions to the field of marriage and family therapy, University of Wisconsin-Stout Assistant Professor Heather Hessel received the Carl Whitaker Award from the Wisconsin Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, presented at WAMFT’s annual conference, held virtually Dec. 6-8.

Hessel, who has a background in IT, brings a fresh perspective to the interface of technology and clinical work and has made generative AI a part of her research to find out how it could benefit the work of therapists.

“The legacy of this award throughout the years, being received by multiple UW-Stout MFT leaders, speaks to the commitment of our program to the organization and field as a whole. Seeing our students thrive due to the dedication of our faculty and specifically, Heather, is an incredible gift to be part of and witness,” Associate Professor Candice Maier said.

The award is named for American physician and family therapist Carl Whitaker, one of the most influential and pioneering leaders in the field.

“The MFT program is delighted that Dr. Hessel was recognized for her achievements and innovation by WAMFT,” Program Director Kevin Hynes said. “Her insights into therapy and technology are invaluable to our students and the program. As her colleague, I am so thankful to have her at Stout and look forward to seeing what she does next.”

Ethically bringing AI into therapy

Hessel came to the therapy world as a second career. Before that, she spent more than 25 years in IT, working in the private, public and independent sectors, with several of those years overlapping her studies in marriage and family therapy.

When looking at what she wanted to contribute to the world in the second half of her life, she knew she wanted to engage with people in a new way – in the space of the therapy room, to have close connections with clients.

“The depth and richness in the therapist-client relationship is really meaningful to me,” she said. “Tangential to that – and as a result of my background in technology – I’ve also become interested in the intersection of therapy and artificial intelligence, which is relatively unexplored, but somewhat feared, by therapists.”

Hessel envisions a personal AI consultant who can confidentially and ethically analyze sessions to help therapists learn more about what they’re already doing in their sessions, how they can do it better and learn what blind spots they may have, she wrote in “Using AI to Be Better Therapists” in Psychotherapy Networker, the most widely read publication in the psychotherapy community.

In a Q&A with Psychotherapy Networker, Hessel stated that “people, therapists included, are unnerved about AI – about being replaced in their profession by chatbots, about ethical implications, thinking it could change the field or the way they work.

“It’s ok to be cautious and go slow. We want to be asking the right questions. But with any industry, when there’s such a progressive new technology available to all, why not see what it can be used for?” she asked.

“As lifelong learners, we want to continue to push ourselves and grow. I think that generative AI could have a role in that space and help people learn how to be better therapists,” she said.

In UW-Stout’s MFT newsletter’s fall edition of The Courier, Hessel’s article “Winter is coming? Artificial intelligence in the therapist’s office” shares preliminary ideas to help therapists prepare for what may be coming.

More recently, Hessel and Hynes evaluated the use of AI by therapists by applying the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Code of Ethics to potential scenarios, presenting their work at the WAMFT annual conference. Hessel said she was encouraged by the number of therapists interested in creatively exploring this area. 

As part of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, WAMFT’s mission is to represent and advance the profession and the practice of MFT and to improve the quality of life for individuals, couples, families and communities throughout Wisconsin by supporting the professional integrity, interests and development of therapists.

UW-Stout’s counseling, rehabilitation and human services department offers five master’s programs, including marriage and family therapy, clinical mental health counseling, rehabilitation counseling, school counseling and school psychology, as well as three undergraduate programs.

UW-Stout, a member of the Universities of Wisconsin, is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes. Learn more via the FOCUS2030 strategic plan.