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Occupational Therapy Toward a Modern, Digital Approach to Care: Integrating AI as a Therapeutic Medium
- gaelle charlot
- 6 hours ago
- 16 min read
Keywords: therapeutic expression, occupational therapy, artificial intelligence, creativity, psychiatry, prison
-Abstract-
Manual mediations, such as clay, painting and collage, have long facilitated projection and symbolisation in psychiatry. However, societal shifts toward image and digital media require adaptations in therapeutic practice. In prison settings, the use of music (e.g. via YouTube) has proven effective; selecting songs, identifying with lyrics and sharing them in groups fosters emotional expression, self-narration and personal validation.
Emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new tools. ChatGPT, sometimes used by patients, can provide occasional scaffolding, but carries risks of dependency. SunoAI, which generates musical compositions from text, opens unprecedented possibilities: shaping personal experiences, enabling projective exploration, confronting frustration and fostering validation, through creative output.
These experiences demonstrate that, far from replacing traditional mediations, AI can function as a therapeutic third party. It extends the objectives of occupational therapy: supporting expression, structuring thought and reinforcing identity. The challenge remains to harness technological developments, while keeping the human at the centre of care.
