GLP-1s and Addiction, Tennessee's AI Law, and Alma's AI Layoffs

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.

KFF updated its tracker of federal mental health and substance use policy actions this week, keeping a clear catalog of grant cancellations, proposed SAMHSA restructuring, and rescinded community violence intervention funds under the current administration.

👉 Why it matters: This is a clear, single resource for seeing which federal programs your clients or referral networks rely on may be affected - worth bookmarking and checking as the policy picture continues to shift.

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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a law on April 1 barring AI developers and platforms from representing their systems as qualified mental health professionals - with a July 1 effective date and a private right of action for clients.

👉 Why it matters: Any AI tool marketed as a therapy substitute or mental health professional - whether you use it, recommend it, or your clients find it themselves - now faces legal liability in Tennessee.

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A Washington University study of 600,000+ veterans found that GLP-1 medications - Ozempic and similar drugs - were linked to lower rates of substance use disorders across several major addictive substances, and to fewer overdoses and drug-related deaths in people who already had one.

👉 Why it matters: Clients on GLP-1s may be noticing shifts in their cravings without a name for it - asking directly can open a real conversation.

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Utah approved Legion Health's AI chatbot to renew prescriptions for 15 low-risk psychiatric medications - including Prozac, Zoloft, and Wellbutrin - for stable patients without a physician reviewing individual decisions, the first such approval for psychiatric prescribing anywhere in the world.

👉 Why it matters: Legion Health has said the model will expand to every state quickly if the pilot holds - making Utah's one-year results a test case every clinician should watch.

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An AP feature this week finds single-session therapy reaching people who want a specific problem addressed without an ongoing commitment - and walking away with concrete strategies.

👉 Why it matters: Clients may already be seeking this kind of help elsewhere; knowing the model and the research behind it lets you offer it intentionally, or speak to it when clients bring it up.

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Alma laid off 45 employees earlier this month - primarily entry-level operations and customer experience roles - as its merger with Spring Health moves toward a Q2 close. The cuts were planned independently of the deal and are not expected to affect it.

👉 Why it matters: Alma cited AI-driven efficiency as the reason roles were cut - a pattern likely to reach other practice platforms as automation reshapes the operational layers therapists rely on.

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Psychiatrist Timothy Lesaca argues on KevinMD that the "second victim" framework - intended to validate clinician distress after adverse events - has become a way of acknowledging the pain without addressing the systems producing it.

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This week, Berries shared two resources for your practice and wellbeing.

Podcast: Kimberly Parker joins Kym Tolson on breaking the scarcity mindset and scaling beyond one-to-one - for clinicians thinking about what sustainable growth looks like without burning out.

→ Listen to our podcast

Meditation: Julie Ela Grace recorded a 14-minute guided meditation on separating your worth from client progress - for the weeks when outcomes feel like a measure of you.

→ Try our meditation

The research keeps moving, the platforms keep changing, and the laws keep catching up - and none of that touches what actually happens between a clinician and a client.

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.