Perhaps my reflection feels like I want to defend something. Speaking up for maturity and humanity so it doesn’t get ignored and neglected, the way our society conditions us to always want what is new, innovative, fresh and young. That stuff is invigorating and necessary. But it must co-exist with what has been and already is. We need now more than ever to value our relationships with each other, but especially with our elders, in the Counselling profession and beyond. Learning and progress means looking back sometimes to see what has been done that works and where things could be improved. Remembering that the tools we invent to assist us don’t work properly without ethical oversight, accountability and always the intention to do good, to nurture and protect, and to advance humanity. Not control it, oppress it, or as we see examples of every day, strive to destroy it. That’s a traumatic response not a healing one!

Counselling is an important part of our salvation as a species. Because every time we support one person to reflect on and make peace with their lives and themselves, it’s another seed planted to ensure caretaking and wellbeing. The challenges we face individually to maintain humanistic and existential balance within our profession, contributes to and ripples out into the world around us. Perhaps Counselling is the antidote the world needs to the destructive aspects of AI.