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Session Description
Session Description
Artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLMs), and emerging technologies are reshaping addiction treatment and our understanding of substance use trends. In this presentation, we will examine the current landscape of addiction services and how tools such as AI-driven chatbots, digital recovery supports, telehealth platforms, and data analytics are being used to expand access to care, enhance engagement, and support assessment, prevention, and relapse risk monitoring. Looking ahead, we will explore emerging innovations including predictive analytics for relapse prevention, virtual and augmented reality interventions, personalized AI-guided recovery supports, and population-level trend analysis to consider how technology may transform the future of addiction treatment. How can these tools help clinicians respond more effectively to evolving substance use patterns, co-occurring conditions, and barriers to treatment access? Equally important, we will critically examine the ethical implications of technology use in addiction care, including issues of data privacy, algorithmic bias, cultural responsiveness, informed consent, and the risk of replacing human connection with automation. Particular attention will be given to the vulnerability of individuals with substance use disorders and the responsibility clinicians have to use technology in ways that support dignity, autonomy, and recovery-oriented, client-centered care. Participants will leave with actionable insights for responsibly integrating AI and technology into addiction treatment while maintaining ethical integrity, clinical judgment, and a strong therapeutic alliance.
Learning Objectives:
1. Analyze current applications of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in addiction treatment and substance use services, including their impact on access to care,
engagement, assessment, and recovery outcomes.
2. Evaluate emerging innovations—such as predictive analytics, virtual reality–based interventions, and AI-guided recovery supports—for their potential to address changing
substance use trends while critically considering ethical challenges related to privacy, bias, cultural responsiveness, and client vulnerability.
3. Design ethically grounded strategies for integrating AI-driven tools into addiction treatment practice that support recovery-oriented, client-centered care and preserve the
central role of the human therapeutic relationship.
Presenter
Presenter
Dr. Donna S. Sheperis serves as Professor and Chair of the Counseling Department at Palo Alto University and Director of the eClinic@PAU, a digital health training clinic recognized for pioneering models of telemental health and AI-supported supervision.
With more than 30 years of clinical experience, she is licensed in California, Arizona, and Texas and holds Board Certifications as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor and TeleMental Health Provider. Dr. Sheperis has served as co-chair of the ACA Ethics Committee and currently sits on the ACA Ethics Appeals Committee. In addition, she is past president of the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling and incoming president for the Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. Her scholarship bridges counseling, technology, and pedagogy. Recent work includes studies on AI integration in clinical education, digital mental health training, and ethical frameworks for technology adoption. Through her teaching, research, and practice, Dr. Sheperis champions innovations that expand access to mental health care while safeguarding the human connection at its core.
Questions?
Questions?
Please contact Dr. Natalie Ricciutti at nricciut@charlotte.edu or 704-687-8960 if you have questions regarding the program.
Please contact Dr. Jordan Z. Boyd at jboyd44@charlotte.edu if you have questions regarding registration.
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