When a Client Mentions an AI Companion App: An Intake Question List for Practitioners

Start with the client's meaning, not the app category

Clients may use the phrase AI companion to describe several different experiences. One person may mean a fictional character with whom they exchange messages. Another may be referring to a conversational assistant used for everyday reflection, or an application that produces spoken or written responses. The label alone does not establish what the client is doing, why they are doing it or what role the service has in their life.

Begin with an open question: "When you say AI companion, what does that mean in your day-to-day life?" Follow with: "What do you usually use it for?" These questions invite a description in the client's own language. They also avoid suggesting that the practitioner has already reached a conclusion about the service, its purpose or the client's reasons for using it.

• What kind of application are you referring to?
• What do you usually do when you open it?
• How did you first start using it?
• What makes you return to it?
• Has the way you use it changed over time?

Establish the pattern of use and the client's expectations

The next step is to understand the practical pattern. Ask whether the client uses text, audio or video features, whether interactions are occasional or part of a daily routine, and whether the application is used at particular times or in particular situations. These details help establish the context without requiring a full account of every interaction. A client may use an app for entertainment, creative conversation, companionship or several purposes at once.

Questions about expectations are equally important. For example: "What do you expect the app to provide?" and "How do you feel when an interaction ends?" The practitioner can then ask whether the client's experience matches those expectations. Avoid assigning a meaning to the behavior before the client has described it. Frequency alone is not a sufficient description of the client's relationship with an application.

• How often do you use it?
• Are interactions mainly text-based, spoken or visual?
• Do you use it at particular times or in particular circumstances?
• What do you find useful or enjoyable about it?
• Has it affected any routine or activity that matters to you?

Ask about disclosure and the information shared

A client may disclose personal information to an AI application, including names, relationship details, workplace circumstances or experiences involving other people. Ask what kinds of information they choose to share and whether they include identifying details. The purpose is to understand the boundaries of disclosure, not to demand passwords, account access or a complete copy of private conversations.

A neutral question is: "Do you ever include personal details about yourself or other people when you use it?" If the client does, ask whether they have considered what information they are comfortable entering into an application. Any discussion about the service's information handling should be grounded in its current documentation and the client's own understanding. Practitioners should avoid making assurances about a platform's confidentiality or data practices.

Distinguish companion apps from professional note-taking tools

A companion application used independently by a client is a different issue from an AI note-taker operating during a counseling session. The first concerns the client's use of an external conversational service. The second introduces a recording or transcription process into a professional encounter. Practitioners should ask about these separately so that an intake conversation does not accidentally treat every AI application as the same kind of tool.

For example, a client may describe using an AI companion in the evening while also asking whether the counselor can use AI notes during appointments. The practitioner should explain the proposed note-taking arrangement independently, including whether audio is captured, whether transcription occurs, who can access the resulting notes and what retention arrangements apply. AI note-taker for therapists is a broad product category, not a description of one consistent technical or confidentiality arrangement.

AI transcription and client confidentiality require particular care because a session transcript may contain identifiable disclosures, sensitive third-party information and material that would ordinarily remain within the professional relationship. AI notes counseling session consent should therefore be discussed before capture begins. The practitioner should also explain whether the tool produces a transcript, a condensed note or both, and how human review and correction will work. Professional bodies and local rules determine additional obligations.

• Is the client using an application independently?
• Is the client asking to use a tool during the appointment?
• Is the practitioner proposing to use a note-taking service?
• Would any proposed tool capture audio, video, chat or written material?

Use examples without turning the intake into a product assessment

If a client names a particular service, ask what features they actually use. An application may offer fictional characters, text conversations, voice content or short films, but a list of features does not explain the client's personal experience. TheFriend, for example, is an adults-only AI companion platform with fictional characters available for text chat. Its catalog also includes multi-part voice confession stories and short films.

The practitioner does not need to evaluate the product or endorse its use to conduct a useful intake conversation. Ask which feature the client uses, what they seek from it and whether there is anything about the experience they want to discuss. Keep the inquiry proportionate. The client should be free to describe an experience without being asked to demonstrate it, share private messages or provide access to an account.

• Which feature do you actually use?
• What do you find yourself discussing?
• Are there particular interactions you want to understand better?
• Would you like this use to be part of our conversations?

Document the relevant account and agree on a follow-up

An intake record should reflect what is relevant to the professional purpose of the conversation. It can note the client's description of the application, the stated purpose of use and any concerns the client wishes to explore. Avoid turning the record into a speculative assessment of an application or reproducing extensive private conversations that are not needed for the professional record.

If further discussion is appropriate, agree on one specific question to revisit. For example, a client who says they use an application when they have difficulty putting an experience into words may wish to explore that pattern in a later appointment. Record the client's own explanation and distinguish it from the practitioner's observations. Apply the same recordkeeping and confidentiality standards that govern other intake information, and consult the relevant professional body where obligations are unclear.

Room Rule: ask before interpreting

A practice can adopt an intake procedure that treats AI application use as an ordinary topic for clarification. The procedure should require practitioners to establish the type of application, the client's stated purpose and any relevant information-sharing concerns before recording conclusions. It should also discourage unnecessary requests for private messages, demonstrations or account credentials.

Suggested policy wording: "When a client mentions an AI companion or conversational application, the practitioner will ask neutral questions about its use and relevance to the client's stated concerns. The practitioner will not assume a particular effect or request access to private account content as a routine intake requirement. Any proposed AI recording or transcription of a professional session will be addressed through the practice's separate consent procedure."

Room Rule: Record the client's own description of an AI companion application before making any professional interpretation, and ask only for information relevant to the purpose of the consultation.

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