Danielle Nelson is a practicing therapist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who focuses on sexual health and wellness, trauma and recovery, self-esteem and resilience building, life transitions, and general mental health concerns. Though Danielle is a trained professional, this column is not a substitute for advice or care provided by your licensed medical or health care professional.
Top 5 Coping Trends of 2025
(As Reported From a Therapist on the Front Lines)
If you told me five years ago that the majority of my sessions in 2025 would involve conversations about AI chatbots, doomsday prepping, and Taylor Swift’s writing ability, I would have nodded politely and scheduled your next appointment. And yet, here we are. As a therapist trying to help people stay sane in a world that’s updating faster than our coping skills, here’s a short list of five trends that got us through 2025.
Using ChatGPT as a Surrogate Friend and Therapist
I wasn’t surprised to learn that in between sessions my clients were outsourcing their concerns to a polite robot. It’s free, available any time, and offers a judgement-free space with a feeling of anonymity. I was surprised to learn exactly how my clients were using ChatGPT. Overwhelmingly, they were looking for a second opinion, one that would serve as an escape hatch from a difficult decision or unwelcome realization. Example: Client has decided to stop hooking up with a toxic ex, especially after drinking. But somewhere between the compulsion, the 2.5 glasses of wine, and pressing send on the text, the client ignores our plan to “phone a friend” and instead pulls up ChatGPT. Their friends have been instructed to remind them why they shouldn’t do this—again. They know the take their friends will have. But maybe the digital oracle will have a different take. Nearly every time my clients engaged with a chatbot, they weren’t negotiating with a robot—they were negotiating with themselves.
Takeaway: In addition to lacking HIPAA compliance (meaning what we share may feel anonymous and private, but it absolutely isn’t), AI chatbots can also provide biased and incorrect information. See “AI Hallucinations” for a real dystopian thrill ride. It’s also worth noting that in addition to being trained, licensed, and actually sentient, most therapists have a 100% success rate of opening pod bay doors.
Psychotherapy: Taylor’s Version
My clients are fully encouraged to use art as a means of expression. Both creating and referencing art can provide us with comfort and communication when words fail—so this is in no way an indictment or criticism, just an observation. One artist acted as an emotional surrogate for nearly half of my clients at some point: Taylor Swift. From the client who requested that I familiarize myself with the lyrics to “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” before our session, to the (many) moments I braced myself when a client asked, “Do you listen to Taylor Swift?” I learned quickly what that meant: Strap in, we’re headed to the lyric analysis portion of the session.
Takeaway: Over the summer, my 10-year-old niece introduced me to The Tortured Poets Department. I was skeptical and cynical but wanted to see what the fuss was about. We agreed to go on a drive and listen to the entire album. She assured me I’d understand if I “can just listen.” So I did. And when I started to cry unexpectedly while listening to “loml” for the first time, she put her hand on my arm softly and smiled at me, “See?” As a Swiftie looking to convert me, she seemed less concerned that I was crying and more vindicated that her point was proven. Yes. I do get it. And, yes, I quoted that song in a session with my own therapist.
Fielding Referrals from Dr. TikTok
Does your algorithm know you better than you know yourself? A lot of my clients thought so. Turns out a catchy 15-second video from a stranger with a good ring light can override peer reviewed papers under the right circumstances—those circumstances being a 30-plus minute spiral that started with, “If you do this, you might have…” As you climb out of the TikTok time warp, you now not only have ADHD/Borderline Personality Disorder/Neurodivergence/etc., you’re also an expert on the topic(s).
Takeaway: It’s easy for confirmation bias to take the wheel when the algorithm feeds a succession of videos that support our existing anxieties and beliefs. Common feelings and universal experiences suddenly become mistaken as signs of a serious condition. When greeted with a new referral from Dr. TikTok, I first review the diagnostic criteria for my client’s new diagnoses and together we sort through which symptoms they actually identify with. It’s important to remember that not every feeling deserves a name or has a pathology. Sometimes, we just feel things deeply, and that’s a part of being human.
Live, Laugh, Late Stage Capitalism
This year it felt like everyone around me (friends, clients, etc.) were achieving goals, finishing projects, and feeling… nothing. Well, aside from the pressing desire to become immersed in another task. The milestones kept moving, but without a feeling of progression. It’s hard to abandon the stay-busy, goal-oriented, mercenary way of thinking in a society that believes your worth is related to your output. Between the remote-hybrid work model and the “always on” culture of smartphones, are we ever really off? Slowing down for “self-care” means rapidly toggling between 13 streaming subscriptions and finding there’s “nothing to watch.”
Takeaway: Task-load as you may, you can’t out-achieve your emotional needs. One approach to meaningful self-care is to first determine the kind of rest you need: active or passive. Passive rest is resting without much physical or mental effort, allowing the body and nervous system to recover from stress. Reading, napping, lying on the couch and watching television, and meditating are all examples. Active rest is low intensity activity that does not put a strain on the body, allowing it to recover. Yoga, going for a walk, gardening, cooking, and drawing are good examples.
Doom Journaling vs. Doom Scrolling
I rarely wrapped up a session without processing existential dread fueled by the horrors of the news. There was a lot of talk of the content itself but also the ways in which we are consuming it. An assignment for any new client is to find a safe place for thought dumping. It can be a sketch pad, a journal, a list, a haphazardly organized collection of Post-it notes, whatever. The important part is having a place to put the thoughts, memories, and ideas that come up in between sessions. The benefit is twofold: The client begins to better understand how their mind works, and so do I.
Takeaway: The assignment took a different turn this year when I asked clients to write out what they were most afraid of or worried about after being exposed to something in the news. It not only provided a relief outlet for mental tension, it became a way to compartmentalize despair. Some clients made it a daily ritual, a way to clean the cobwebs or set down a heavy thought or fear they’d been carrying. For others, it was a way to validate the stress they were experiencing by keeping a record. As we move into a new year without a sign of the shitstorm winding down, this might be a practice you want to try out.
If you need to speak to someone right away, call 504-269-COPE (2673). The COPE crisis line provides free, confidential crisis counseling, suicide prevention and information, and mental health referral services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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illustrations by Romey Petite.
