Fifteen States, Fifteen Different Chatbot Rules, and The ER Debate Over AI and Suicide Risk

Each week brings new conversations about mental health, technology, and care. Between Sessions gathers what's worth your attention - so you can stay informed without adding to your workload.

New York has signed legislation letting the state's Office of Mental Health and Office of Addiction Services and Supports jointly set licensing standards for integrated behavioral health outpatient centers, replacing the separate systems providers previously navigated for co-occurring care.

👉 Why it matters: If you practice in New York with co-occurring clients, licensing between the two agencies may finally align - worth watching if duplicate paperwork has been a headache.

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A new legal analysis breaks down Rhode Island's three AI healthcare laws, signed in June. One - the Oversight of AI Technology in Mental Health Care Act - bars clinicians from letting AI make treatment decisions, and requires consent before AI joins recorded sessions.

👉 Why it matters: If you use AI notetaking or scribing tools in session, review your consent and documentation workflow now - other states may adopt similar language.

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A national RTI study published this week found 61% of US adults with a past-year psychiatric disorder received treatment, but only 34% received adequate care - with men, non-Hispanic Black adults, and Hispanic adults least likely to get it.

👉 Why it matters: Access alone isn't the finish line - a quick check on session frequency and follow-through across your caseload can reveal who's falling into that adequacy gap.

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A new Psychiatric Times analysis asks whether hospitals should require AI risk-stratification tools in the ER. One 2025 study scored clinician judgment at just 0.60 (out of 1.0) for suicide risk there - the lowest of any setting - versus 0.76 with AI added.

👉 Why it matters: If you coordinate care with an ED or take crisis referrals, expect AI-informed risk flags to start showing up in the records you receive.

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Fifteen states have now enacted chatbot-specific laws, and a national KFF survey finds one in six US adults - and 28% of those 18 to 29 - have used an AI chatbot for mental health support.

👉 Why it matters: If a client mentions confiding in a chatbot, ask what it told them - some get real comfort, others get responses no clinician would approve.

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BrainsWay, the maker of Deep TMS neurostimulation devices, made a $500,000 minority investment in Sound Minds Behavioral, a growth-oriented outpatient mental health platform with locations across Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York offering therapy, medication management, and interventional psychiatry.

👉 Why it matters: Outside capital keeps moving into outpatient behavioral health - useful context if you're a group practice owner weighing growth capital or an acquisition offer against staying independent.

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In a Medscape commentary, psychiatrist Temitope Ogundare recounts visiting Rikers Island during his training fellowship, arguing that jails have become de facto psychiatric institutions - making jail reform itself a form of mental health policy.

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This week, Berries shared a conversation for your practice and an invitation to help shape the field.

Podcast: Ashley Comegys joins Kym Tolson to talk maternity leave planning for therapists in private practice - caseload timing, client transitions, and the money planning that should start before the leave itself.

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Survey: Berries is building the 2026 State of AI in Mental Health Practice Report and wants your perspective on how clinicians use AI. It takes about 8 minutes, stays confidential and aggregate, and enters you for one of ten $100 Amazon gift cards.

→ Take the survey

None of this week's news changes what happens in your therapy room - it just makes the world around it a little more legible, one law and one study at a time.

As always, thank you for your truly important work.

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This newsletter is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute clinical, legal, or regulatory guidance. Clinicians should rely on their professional judgment and applicable standards of care when integrating any technology into practice.