AI in Behavioral Health: Ethics, Risks, and Responsible Use (3 Clock Hours) -Pennsylvania

AI in Behavioral Health: Ethics, Risks, and Responsible Use is a three-hour, text-based home study course for counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, addiction professionals, and psychologists who use or are considering artificial intelligence tools in practice. The course explains how AI and generative AI work, where AI now appears in behavioral health (ambient scribes, note drafting, decision support, measurement-based care, chatbots, and wellness apps), and what the research shows about benefits and risks such as hallucination, bias, automation bias, privacy breaches, and crisis failures. It reviews the current Pennsylvania picture, including how the Board's ethics and confidentiality standards in 49 Pa. Code Chapters 47, 48, and 49, the Mental Health Procedures Act, and Pennsylvania's drug and alcohol confidentiality law apply to AI tools, the Department of State's action on unlicensed chatbots, and pending bills such as HB 1925 and SB 1090, along with clearly labeled examples from other states and HIPAA business associate requirements for AI vendors. It closes with NBCC, ACA, APA, and NASW guidance and a practical toolkit for vetting tools, writing AI consent language, reviewing AI output, and creating a practice AI policy. This course is designed around the continuing education requirements of the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors but is not approved or endorsed by the Board. The 2 clock hours of child abuse recognition and reporting training required by Act 31 come from a provider approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services or Department of State.