Clinician conversation reveals the state of therapy and mental health
You may be wondering about clinicians’ and industry leaders’ insights on the future of mental health treatment and the most significant trends shaping therapy in 2026.
There are new technologies, new legislation, and a wave of new trends that influence how the therapy industry will grow, change, and evolve over the next 12 months and beyond.
Some of the questions on therapists’ minds include: How will AI change therapy? What about virtual reality integration in therapy sessions? How will client expectations change? When will new technologies arrive? How can I prepare my private practice? and What skills are needed for the future?
To help clinicians prepare for the year ahead, let’s take a look at therapists’ predictions about the future of mental health treatment and the emerging therapy trends in 2026.
Trend #1: Streamlining practice management with AI
Therapists are always on the lookout for ways to streamline their admin tasks and free up their time and energy for the things that are most important to them.
There is a significant amount of administrative work needed to keep a private practice up and running—and the more time you spend on the admin side, the less time you have for therapy sessions, client support, and your own personal life and activities.
But, with the power of AI, comes one of the six top trends shaping therapy in 2026—AI-powered practice management tools.
According to Albert Bonfil, PsyD, A-CBT, director at Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles and clinical assistant professor at UCLA Department of Psychology, AI is extremely effective at making some of the behind-the-scenes administrative parts of private practice easier.
For those wondering how AI will change therapy and the future of mental health treatment throughout 2026 and beyond, expect to see a dramatic increase in AI-powered tools designed to automate tasks, streamline processes, and make practice management easier, more organized, and less time-consuming.
“These tools are expected to have a strong impact,” says Brent Metcalf, LCSW, owner of Northeast Tennessee-based group practice Tri-Star Counseling. “They help reduce administrative burdens, allowing therapists to focus more on direct client care while making better-informed clinical decisions.”
For example, some of the AI tools shaping therapy include:
AI note-taking apps
In 2026, we will see increased usage of “HIPAA-compliant apps…that can listen to sessions—with client consent—and generate therapy notes,” says Jenny Hughes, PhD, trauma psychologist and founder of the BRAVE Trauma Therapist Collective.
These apps, such as SimplePractice’s AI-powered Note Taker app, can significantly decrease the time therapists spend on creating and managing notes.
AI assistants
Custom AI assistants can also be used to fill in any administrative gaps in your practice in 2026.
For example, “You can use AI assistants to do things like respond to prospective clients, write and schedule social media content, and engage on websites,” says Kate Littlefield, LCMHC, founder and clinician at Through to THRIVE.
Trend #2: TikTok, therapy speak, and the rise of EMDR
Recent years have seen a major increase in therapy-related memes and video content across social media platforms—particularly around trauma.
And, social media posts have set the stage for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) to be one of the major trends shaping therapy in 2026. .
“We're all familiar with ‘therapy speak’ on TikTok,” says Virginia-based EMDR clinician Ashley C. Gibson, MEd, MFA, NCC.
Social media has brought trauma-related conversations to the masses. As more users are exposed to these conversations, more are recognizing their own experiences with trauma—and the potential of EMDR as a healing modality.
“Therapy content on TikTok and Instagram introduces EMDR concepts to broader audiences,” says Charlotte-based EMDR therapist Carrie Torn, LCSW. “This changes the therapy landscape. Clients aren’t just seeking ‘therapy’ anymore—they’re seeking targeted, evidence-based trauma treatment that they've already researched and been educated about.”
But trauma-related social media content is also changing the conversation around what qualifies as trauma—and some are normalizing the idea of EMDR as a potential treatment not just for major, life-altering traumatic events but also for the smaller, less obvious traumas that people may not have previously believed warranted treatment.
“There's no such thing as the ‘trauma or grief Olympics,’” says Gibson. “As a trauma therapist, I care more about whether an experience was perceived by the client as traumatic. EMDR clinicians believe that if the brain felt it to be a trauma, the brain stored it as a trauma—regardless of whether someone would objectively quantify that particular experience as traumatic.”
While EMDR has strong evidence for treating PTSD, the evidence is still developing for EMDR in treatment for other conditions. It is not as robust or universally accepted across all insurers and governing bodies for diagnoses other than PTSD.
Trend #3: Body-based modalities
The past year was a challenging year for a lot of people, and as the year draws to a close, many are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted, and anxious.
“With increased layoffs, back-to-work mandates, and economic uncertainty, there are greater levels of stress building up in people’s nervous systems,” says Seattle-based counselor and expressive arts therapist Sofiya Ko, LMHC.
Amidst this widespread dysregulation, many clients are finding that traditional talk therapy just isn’t doing the trick.
“You can’t think your way out of a feeling,” says Katie May, PC, DBT-LBC, founder and clinical director at Creative Healing. “Clients know that insight alone doesn’t change lived experience.”
In response, trends shaping therapy in 2026 will see a shift away from the mind—and, instead, toward the body.
“In 2026, therapy that addresses the body’s signals—not just the client’s thoughts—will set the standard for what ‘effective’ care looks like,” says May. “Therapy is shifting away from stale, cognitive-only approaches like CBT and moving toward experiential, bottom-up, and body-based modalities.”
According to May, these body-based approaches integrate somatic awareness, nervous system regulation, and experiential practice.
For example, some of these experiential body-based modalities include:
Dance and movement therapy
Mindful movement
Body work (like massage or structural integration)
Unlike talk therapy (which can take time to produce results), this trend toward body-based modalities “will feel more practical, embodied, and immediately impactful,” says May. “Clients will walk out not only with insight, but with a felt sense of regulation and safety.”
And because of this immediate impact—where clients actually feel differently at the end of a session—it’s safe to say that body-based modalities will likely remain popular trends through 2026 and beyond.
“After years of cognitive therapies, many clients will continue to seek more body-based and holistic approaches to help resolve issues where sustainable solutions remain elusive,” says Francesca Maximé, LCSW.
Trend #4: Therapy intensives
As mentioned earlier, many people’s experiences in 2025 have left them feeling stressed, burned out, and overwhelmed—and that includes clients as well as therapists themselves.
And that collective burnout is absolutely going to impact the therapy landscape in 2026—including how therapy is structured.
“Increases in burnout among both clients and therapists, a desire for faster relief, and a cultural preference for ‘immersion’ experiences—such as wellness retreats and workshops—is going to drive the demand for therapy intensives,” says Torn.
“Intensives are going to be a game-changer,” Hughes agrees.
Therapy intensives are immersive therapeutic experiences that aim to replicate the benefits of long-term therapy in a much shorter timeframe (typically anywhere from a few hours to a few days).
Rather than pay a per-session fee for ongoing therapy, clients make a larger financial investment for a more concentrated block of the therapist’s time.
“Therapy intensives allow clients to do months of work in a shorter period of time,” says Torn.
According to Littlefield, the idea that you can consolidate one to two years of therapy into as little as six to 12 hours is very appealing to many clients.
And while not every client will be able to afford the higher price tag of therapy retreats, many clients are willing to invest to get fast results. “Private-pay clients in particular want concentrated results and are willing to invest,” says Torn.
According to Torn, intensives allow therapists to build businesses with fewer overall clients but deeper, higher-value engagements.
Given the above, it’s fair to say that an increased interest in immersive therapy intensives, both on the client and the therapist side, will be among the top trends shaping therapy in 2026.
“I think we’ll see significant growth in trauma intensives, retreats, and hybrid models—virtual prep, in-person immersion, integration follow-up—in 2026,” says Torn.
Trend #5: The rise of VR/AR as therapeutic tools
We talked about AI’s influence on private practice.
But, what about virtual reality integration?
Will VR—as well as augmented reality, or AR—shape therapy trends in 2026?
In a word, yes.
“VR technology is changing therapy treatment approaches by providing virtual immersive environments to treat trauma, exposure therapy, and anxiety management,” says psychiatrist Dr. Sanjai Thankachen, medical and mental health director at New Leaf Detox in Laguna Niguel, CA.
For example, “VR and AR can help clients confront fears, like heights or flying, safely and in a way that's just not possible in real life,” says Hughes.
There are a number of factors driving VR/AR into the list of the top trends shaping therapy in 2026. According to Metcalf, the increased accessibility of VR/AR devices is playing a significant role.
In addition to the increased accessibility, VR/AR technology has improved to a point that it can create realistic, convincing environments, which can create more immersive experiences and offer more therapeutic value.
“I worked on VR exposure therapy for gunshot victims years ago when the graphics were pretty clunky,” says Hughes. “Now, they're incredibly realistic, and that realism makes a huge difference.”
Metcalf says there is growing research supporting their effectiveness in mental health treatment. He shares research confirming the efficacy of VR for treating a variety of conditions, including phobias, PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders.
When you consider the effectiveness, increased availability, and rising interest in VR/AR for mental health, this trend feels like a win-win.
“For therapists, these tools broaden treatment options and enable more interactive, evidence-based approaches,” Metcalf says. “Clients benefit by experiencing therapy in ways that feel dynamic, engaging, and personalized.”
Trend #6: Hybrid private practices
The global COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a trend of telehealth therapy—and that trend has continued in the post-COVID years.
But six years out, there’s a new trend emerging.
“In terms of private practice, I think the future is hybrid,” says Bonfil.
As we enter 2026, clients want flexibility in how and when they engage in therapy, which will make hybrid practices more appealing.
“Clients want the choice between in-person and telehealth, and they don’t want it to feel like two separate systems,” says Bonfil.
And the “hybrid” approach doesn’t stop at in-person vs. remote.
The economy has been challenging, and as we move into 2026, clients are also looking for practices that offer a variety of services at a variety of price points.
“More practices are offering different layers of services—for instance, lower-cost video content and webinars in addition to one-on-one therapy,” says Bonfil. “This can make therapy more accessible to different people.”
How to prepare your practice for 2026
With these six trends shaping therapy in 2026 on the horizon, it’s important to take steps to prepare your practice—and to set yourself up for success in the coming year.
Here are a few tips to help you get ready for the year ahead and help you to better navigate the future of mental health treatment and the changing therapy landscape:
Identify your practice needs—and create a plan for 2026
Before you start making any changes to your practice in 2026, it’s important to take stock of where your practice stands now—and where you want it to go in the coming year.
“As counselors, I think it’s paramount we evaluate how the care we provide meets the emerging needs of our clients, as well as how trends in the landscape affect the health of our businesses,” says Ko.
Start with an honest self-assessment of your practice.
Ask yourself:
What’s working well—and what needs improvement?
What new skills or tools will my practice need to stay competitive?
How are client expectations changing—and am I equipped to meet those changing expectations?
Where am I spending too much time or energy?
What services, technologies, or approaches could better meet client needs in 2026?
How can I use upcoming therapy trends to strengthen my practice?
Then, use those insights to create a clear action plan for 2026.
For example, if you realize administrative work is eating up your schedule, you might explore AI-powered practice management tools to automate more admin tasks—and reclaim more of your time for client care.
Or, maybe you realize an increasing number of clients are requesting a service or modality you don’t currently offer.
In that case, you might invest in additional certification to better meet client demand in 2026.
The point is, the clearer you are about your current strengths, challenges, and goals, the easier it will be to create a strategy that takes your practice to the next level in the coming year.
Don’t get lost in the trends
The trends shaping therapy in 2026 can be a valuable way to understand where the therapy field is heading.
But they’re certainly not a one-size-fits-all roadmap for how to practice therapy in 2026.
If you try to chase every new trend, you risk stretching yourself too thin—and you may struggle to implement trends properly.
And, just as importantly, not every trend will resonate with your clients or align with your business goals. Therefore, spending time and energy trying to incorporate those trends into your practice won’t deliver results.
The key to success with therapy trends is about quality, not quantity. It’s about identifying which trends genuinely fit your approach, your clients’ needs, and your business model—and then focusing on those.
For example, therapy intensives might be gaining traction—but, if your clients have barriers that would prevent them from participating in an intensive (for example, financial or time constraints), these immersive, lengthy sessions may not be the best fit for your practice.
Bottom line?
Don’t get caught up in trying every one of the six trends shaping therapy in 2026.
Simply focus on the trends that make sense for you and your clients, and then invest your time and energy in implementing those trends as successfully as possible.
Stay open to change
As mentioned, every one of the trends shaping therapy in 2026 isn’t necessarily going to be right for you, your clients, and your practice.
And that’s OK!
However, according to Hughes, you don’t have to chase every new tool or trend, but you do need to stay curious.”
As the therapy industry and the future of mental health treatment continues to grow, change, and evolve, it’s important to stay open, flexible, and curious.
If a trend emerges that sparks your interest—even if it doesn’t feel like an immediate fit—explore it.
If a new technology launches that has the potential to improve your practice, look into it—even if the change feels scary.
Staying open to change and being willing to adapt will ensure your practice will keep up with the ever-changing future of mental health treatment—in 2026 and beyond.
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