AI Beyond the Therapy Session: Human Connection, Family Care, and AI with Dr. Shiri Sharvit

In this episode of Beyond the Couch: AI in Psychology, Dr. Ernest Wayde sits down with Dr. Shiri Sharvit, a clinical psychologist, researcher, technology entrepreneur, CEO and cofounder of Resolve Together, and Distinguished Professor of Research at Palo Alto University. Drawing on more than two decades in clinical psychology and years of work integrating technology into behavioral healthcare, Dr. Sharvit explores what makes generative AI different from earlier digital interventions and how it can support clinicians with documentation, assessments, continuous support, and care between sessions. She argues that human connection, clinical judgment, and understanding people in context must remain central even as more routine work is delegated to AI. The conversation also explores family-based care and Resolve Together’s model of combining human health coaches with an AI companion to support patients and families outside traditional clinical encounters. Dr. Sharvit discusses why AI companions should not be treated as substitutes for human relationships, including their limitations around lived experience, empathy, accountability, and their tendency to reinforce users rather than always challenge them therapeutically. She also calls on psychologists to become more involved in AI education, design, evaluation, advocacy, and regulation so behavioral science, clinical ethics, and real-world workflows help shape how these systems are developed and used. Takeaways -Human connection and clinical judgment must remain central as AI enters psychological care. -AI can extend support beyond the traditional therapy session. -Routine clinical tasks can be delegated so clinicians can focus more on relationships. -AI companions can mimic emotion, but they cannot replicate human lived experience or accountability. -Psychologists should help design and evaluate AI, not wait until the technology is already built. -Responsible AI requires clear use cases, guardrails, education, and appropriate regulation. Connect with Dr. Shiri Sharvit Website: http://www.resolvetogether.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirisharvitphd/ AI Integration in Behavioral Healthcare: A Practical Framework for Clinicians: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41347-025-00532-z Connect With Us https://www.waydeai.com/ https://www.facebook.com/waydeaillc https://www.linkedin.com/company/wayde-ai/ info@waydeai.com Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:36 - Meet Dr. Shiri Sharvit 02:28 - From Clinical Psychology to Digital Health and AI 07:51 - What Makes Generative AI Different? 11:14 - Why AI Still Feels Foreign to Many Clinicians 14:22 - Extending Care Beyond the Therapy Session 16:48 - Bringing Families Into AI-Supported Care 21:07 - How Resolve Together Uses Human and AI Coaches 24:15 - Handing Care Between Humans and AI 25:16 - What Families and Providers Are Experiencing 27:37 - Will AI Replace Therapists? 31:11 - How Clinicians Can Prepare for AI 34:56 - Why Psychologists Need a Role in AI Development 37:09 - Connect with Dr. Shiri Sharvit 37:41 - Final Advice: Protect Human Relationships