Evidence & sources
Obligations- blocking licensure: An individual, corporation, or entity may not provide, advertise, or offer therapy or psychotherapy services -- including through Internet-based artificial intelligence -- to the public in Illinois unless the services are conducted by a licensed professional.
"An individual, corporation, or entity may not provide, advertise, or otherwise offer therapy or psychotherapy services, including through the use of Internet-based artificial intelligence, to the public in this State unless the therapy or psychotherapy services are conducted by an individual who is a licensed professional" (Section 20(a)). - blocking scope_of_practice: A licensed professional may not allow artificial intelligence to make independent therapeutic decisions, directly interact with clients in any form of therapeutic communication, generate therapeutic recommendations or treatment plans without the professional's review and approval, or detect emotions or mental states.
"A licensed professional may not allow artificial intelligence to do any of the following: (1) make independent therapeutic decisions; (2) directly interact with clients in any form of therapeutic communication; (3) generate therapeutic recommendations or treatment plans without review and approval by the licensed professional; or (4) detect emotions or mental states" (Section 20(b)). - blocking consent: A licensed professional may not use artificial intelligence to provide supplementary support where a client's therapeutic session is recorded or transcribed, unless the patient is informed in writing that AI will be used and its specific purpose, and the patient consents.
"No licensed professional shall be permitted to use artificial intelligence to assist in providing supplementary support in therapy or psychotherapy where the client's therapeutic session is recorded or transcribed unless: (1) the patient or the patient's legally authorized representative is informed in writing of the following: (A) that artificial intelligence will be used; and (B) the specific purpose of the artificial intelligence tool or system that will be used; and (2) the patient or the patient's legally authorized representative provides consent to the use of artificial intelligence" (Section 15(b)). - material data_use: Records kept by a licensed professional and communications between an individual seeking therapy and the professional are confidential and may not be disclosed except as required under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act.
"All records kept by a licensed professional and all communications between an individual seeking therapy or psychotherapy services and a licensed professional shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed except as required under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act" (Section 25).
Scope- applies_if_minor_accessible = true
"An individual, corporation, or entity may not provide, advertise, or otherwise offer therapy or psychotherapy services, including through the use of Internet-based artificial intelligence, to the public in this State unless the therapy or psychotherapy services are conducted by an individual who is a licensed professional" (Section 20(a)); the Act's only exceptions (Section 35: religious counseling, peer support, self-help materials) do not exclude minors. - applies_to_operator = licensed_professional; individual_corporation_or_entity_offering_therapy_services
"An individual, corporation, or entity may not provide, advertise, or otherwise offer therapy or psychotherapy services...unless the therapy or psychotherapy services are conducted by an individual who is a licensed professional" (Section 20(a)); the AI-use duties fall on "a licensed professional" (Sections 15, 20(b)). - covered_service = therapy_or_psychotherapy_services
"'Therapy or psychotherapy services' means services provided to diagnose, treat, or improve an individual's mental health or behavioral health. 'Therapy or psychotherapy services' does not include religious counseling or peer support" (Section 10). No minors-specific provision was found anywhere in the Act; no minors-class obligation row is seeded, consistent with the summary table's "none" for reading (a), the minors-specific query. See the applies_if_minor_accessible row below for reading (b). - exempts = religious_counseling; peer_support; self_help_materials_and_educational_resources
"This Act does not apply to the following: (1) religious counseling; (2) peer support; and (3) self-help materials and educational resources that are available to the public and do not purport to offer therapy or psychotherapy services" (Section 35).
Archived copy: raw/primary/86f9c06ce540cec5937e03f60f419611996e5fbb842ba69a7ba436cf0aa33818
Verified by hand-2026-09 on 2026-09-08T00:00:00Z
Live primary source: https://www.ilga.gov/ftp/Public%20Acts/104/104-0054.htm
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