AI in Mental Health and Substance Use Health
A tip sheet for leaders and service providers  

Downloadable Tip Sheets for Clinicians and Other Professionals

As AI-enabled tools continue to expand rapidly across mental health and substance use health services, providers need practical guidance to engage with them responsibly and ethically.

These tip sheets, developed by Mental Health Research Canada and the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions, provide best practices and recommendations to support safer, more responsible AI use. They can help providers protect client confidentiality, preserve human oversight, review AI outputs critically and have transparent conversations with clients who may already be using AI tools for emotional support, reflection or decision-making.


AI can support some administrative or preparatory tasks, but it cannot replace professional assessment, diagnosis, treatment, risk evaluation or clinical judgment.


Download the tip sheets and use them as a practical reference for safer, more responsible conversations about AI in mental health and substance use services:


AI in Mental Health and Substance Use Health
This resource outlines key principles around confidentiality, human oversight, informed consent, disclosure, alternatives for clients and the importance of reviewing AI outputs before using them.

Best Practices in Prompting AI Tools
A companion resource that explains how to write clearer, more effective prompts for AI tools while protecting sensitive information.

Why it matters

Approximately 6 million people living in Canada have used AI-enabled tools for mental health support in the past year. This means providers may already be encountering clients who use AI for emotional support, reflection or decision-making, whether or not AI is being used within their own organization.


As these tools evolve, service providers need to understand both the potential benefits and the risks. People living in Canada have identified human involvement, privacy, data protection, informed consent and regular safety checks as key priorities for safer AI use in mental health support. Responsible use requires clear practices around privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, disclosure, human review of AI outputs and alternatives for clients who are not comfortable with AI use.


These tip sheets give teams a practical starting point for safer conversations about AI use, while keeping professional judgment, client safety and the care relationship at the centre.

Related Links


Activation Package for Managers and Supervisors

To help your organization introduce the AI Tip Sheets internally, we are also providing an activation package for managers and supervisors.

These materials are designed to make it easier to share the tip sheets with teams, support staff conversations and encourage safer, more consistent practices around AI use. 

 

Download the templates you need from the list below to help introduce the tip sheets to your team: 

 

Sample internal email from a manager or clinical lead

A ready-to-send message that introduces the tip sheets, explains why they matter and invites staff to review the guidance before a team discussion.

Short Teams/Slack message for staff channels 
A brief internal message for instant messaging platforms that helps supervisors quickly share the tip sheets with staff and encourage practical use. 

Intranet or newsletter blurb
A concise announcement for internal newsletters, staff portals or intranet pages that explains the purpose of the tip sheets and directs teams to download them.

Supervisor talking points for team meetings
A short set of speaking notes to help managers introduce the tip sheets during huddles, staff meetings or supervision sessions. 

One-slide summary for huddles or lunch-and-learns
A simple summary slide highlighting why the tip sheets matter and what teams should keep in mind when discussing AI use. 

Optional team discussion questions/answers
Practical questions and suggested answers to support team conversations about client use of AI, confidentiality, informed consent, human review and effective prompts. 

Why it matters

Approximately 6 million people living in Canada have used AI-enabled tools for mental health support in the past year. This means providers may already be encountering clients who use AI for emotional support, reflection or decision-making, whether or not AI is being used within their own organization.

 

As these tools evolve, service providers need to understand both the potential benefits and the risks. People living in Canada have identified human involvement, privacy, data protection, informed consent and regular safety checks as key priorities for safer AI use in mental health support. Responsible use requires clear practices around privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, disclosure, human review of AI outputs and alternatives for clients who are not comfortable with AI use.

 

These tip sheets give teams a practical starting point for safer conversations about AI use, while keeping professional judgment, client safety and the care relationship at the centre.

Related Links