“The Future of Psychotherapy: What Will the Field Be Like in 10-20 Years?”
October 31, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
“The Future of Psychotherapy: What Will the Field Be Like in 10-20 Years?”
Friday, October 31, 2025
Registration 8:30am Program 9am to 12pm
Presented By: Gerald T. O’Brien, Ph.D.
Location: Online Workshop
***Deadline to register is October 29, 2025 at 9am***
3 CE Credits
This webinar will discuss the potential directions of and changes in the field of psychotherapy over the next 10 to 20 years. Topics will include the expanding need for mental health services, especially among disadvantaged populations, the availability of services and providers, and the potential contributions of developing and new therapeutic approaches, delivery methods, technology, and artificial intelligence. Ethical issues will be addressed, as well as the potential impact of political and financial contingencies on the field. The presentation will be based on both empirical research and predictions by experts in the field of psychotherapy. Attendees will be encouraged to participate actively and to make their own predictions about the future of psychotherapy.
Objectives:
1.List at least four factors that will influence the development of psychotherapy over the next 10-20 years.
2.List ways that psychotherapy in the future can better serve underserved and minority populations.
3. Determine how they might apply evolving technologies in their own practices.
4. Identify potential legal and ethical issues inherent in the application of newer technologies and artificial intelligence in psychotherapy.
Gerald T. O’Brien, Ph.D.
Over the course of a four-decade career as a licensed psychologist, I have worked across a broad spectrum of professional settings—including academia, community mental health, independent contracting, and private group practice. For nine years, I served as Associate Director of the Anxiety and Agoraphobia Treatment Center. Throughout my career, I have maintained active memberships in several professional behavioral health organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, and PSCP: The Philadelphia Psychology Network.
Though now retired from clinical practice, I remain deeply engaged in the field as a PSCP Board member and currently serve as its President.
In recent years, the fields of professional psychology and psychotherapy have undergone profound transformations. I am particularly intrigued by the question of what these disciplines will look like 10 to 20 years from now—a topic I have been researching intensively for the past six months. As part of this exploration, I have contributed presidential messages to PSCP’s monthly online newsletter, focusing on the future of professional psychology and the implications of recent federal cutbacks on mental health care in America.
The future of psychotherapy is rich with both potential and challenges. In my upcoming presentation, I will address the opportunities and risks that lie ahead in our field.
PSCP: The Psychology Network is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. PSCP: The Psychology network maintains responsibility for this program and its content.