Virtual Insanity or Digital Paradise? Navigating Law, Ethics, and AI in Clinical Practice

Our practice rooms are no longer confined by physical walls. From AI-generated clinical notes and cloud-based record storage to adolescents presenting with self-diagnoses shaped by social media algorithms, digital technology is increasingly embedded in mental healthcare. The workshop will be divided into 2 parts, which will provide a practical overview of the legal and ethical challenges facing mental health practitioners in South Africa.

Seminar 1 on 30 July 2026 will explore the legal and ethical challenges of digital healthcare practice in South Africa, including the use of AI, cloud storage and online platforms; informed consent, confidentiality and POPIA compliance; and HPCSA requirements for transparency. The seminar will also address consent and confidentiality issues involving children and adolescents, parental access to therapy information, and the opportunities and risks of Generative AI in clinical practice, including "hallucination bias" in assessment and diagnosis.

Seminar 2 on 18 August 2026 will explore the impact of AI, algorithms and digital technologies on psychotherapy, including social media-driven self-diagnosis, AI companions, cyberbullying, deepfakes and other digital harms. The seminar will also address therapeutic approaches for adolescents and supporting parents in managing digital boundaries and online wellbeing.

About the presenter:

Judith Ancer is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Johannesburg. She is extensively involved in the training and supervision of mental health professionals; has worked in clinical, educational, and corporate settings; and has recently published a book on mental health in the workplace. She has an interest in helping others to tolerate imperfection and uncertainty and understands that we can survive the discomfort this may generate, always learn more, and strive to be better.

CPD Points: 2 Ethics points per seminar, read & answer 15 MCQS for 1 Ethics

Any queries, please email [email protected]