Building a Framework for AI in Counselor Training: A Delphi Study

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, has created new opportunities and challenges in counselor training. These technologies offer transformative potential in enhancing counselor education through personalized learning, simulation-based environments, and improved supervision practices. However, their integration raises ethical, practical, and pedagogical concerns, including issues of data privacy, algorithmic bias, and maintaining the humanistic principles central to the counseling profession. This study builds on a scoping review to examine AI’s role in counselor training and employs a Delphi methodology to gather expert consensus on the applications, challenges, and ethical considerations of AI integration. Panelists include counselor educators and researchers with expertise in technology and counselor education. Through an iterative, consensus-driven process, the study aims to develop actionable guidelines and strategies for leveraging AI effectively and ethically in counselor training. The findings will provide a framework to align AI innovations with the relational and humanistic values of the counseling field, offering direction for future research and implementation.