Presentation Schedule
The Role of AI in Culturally Moderated Psychological Counseling: Opportunities, Challenges, and Human Limitations (96171)
Session Chair: Lei Huang
This presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom (Online Access)
Saturday, 4 October 2025 11:35
Session: Session 1
Room: Live-Stream Room 2
Presentation Type:Live-Stream Presentation
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The growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into mental health services has introduced new possibilities for support, particularly for international students navigating emotional and cultural challenges. This study explores the role of AI in culturally moderated psychological counseling through five narrative case studies from the PASSI@Unito project at the University of Turin. The students, from diverse cultural backgrounds, initially engaged with AI-based tools—such as conversational agents and mental health applications—to manage feelings of anxiety, academic stress, and cultural adjustment. While these tools provided convenient access to general guidance and emotional check-ins, the students reported that the interactions often felt limited in terms of personal relevance, cultural attunement, and emotional depth. In some cases, this led to a sense of uncertainty and increased cognitive rumination. Ultimately, each student opted to seek support from human professionals, where they experienced more nuanced engagement through culturally informed communication and empathetic understanding. Grounded in clinical ethnographic methods, this study examines both the potential and the limitations of AI-assisted counseling within multicultural settings. Drawing on narrative case studies, it highlights how AI tools can serve as useful complements for delivering information and facilitating initial engagement. However, the findings suggest that current AI systems have limited capacity to interpret culturally embedded expressions of distress or navigate the complex emotional landscapes shaped by diverse cultural norms. As such, the paper emphasizes the ongoing necessity of culturally responsive, human-centered approaches in mental health care—particularly for international student populations navigating identity, belonging, and emotional well-being across cultural boundaries.
Authors:
Lei Huang, University of Turin, Italy
About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Lei Huang is currently a Researcher and Intercultural Mediator at the University of Turin, Italy.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule
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