As a Counselling Therapist, I support Canadians navigating career loss, burnout, workplace stress, and identity shifts. These experiences surface deeper existential questions: “Who am I if I’m not doing this job anymore?” or “How do I support myself while also finding meaning?” Increasingly, people are turning to AI to help answer them.
In some ways, that makes sense. AI is fast, available, and can feel reassuring when someone is stuck. But it often defaults to agreement without fully exploring the context or complexity of someone’s real life. In other words, AI tends to be sycophantic.
Sycophantic responding refers to overly validating replies that focus on telling someone what they want to hear, rather than slowing things down to offer balanced, honest feedback. With tools like ChatGPT, this shows up as quick reassurance or strong agreement without examining context, risks, or deeper implications. For example, if someone asks, “Should I quit my job if I’m unhappy?” an AI tool might respond with encouragement and confidence. What’s often missing are the reflective questions: What is your financial reality? What emotional supports do you have? Are you moving toward something, or away from something? What happens if it doesn’t work out?
In my work as a career counsellor, I’m trained to challenge clients when it’s clinically necessary, and to slow things down by looking at values, stress, patterns, emotional resources, meaning, and the real life context someone is living in. The whole picture.
Counselling and psychotherapy also involve something AI cannot replicate: being witnessed by another human being. That experience of being seen, heard, and emotionally held in real time matters. It often becomes part of the healing itself, especially during identity change, career loss, or grief around work and purpose.
AI can be a helpful tool. But it does not replace the depth of a human relationship, nor does it provide the challenge we need when facing complex life decisions.
If you’re navigating a career transition or a difficult work decision, working with a counsellor can help you see the whole picture. Reach out to Canada Career Counselling to learn more.
