Psychotherapist and clinical AI strategist.

Anum Ali, PhD, LPC studies what happens to human connection when machines learn to care. She treats clients in private practice, tests AI mental health products against clinical reality, and helps parents reach kids the algorithm got to first.

Irreplaceably human.

Work with me The new book
Dr. Anum Ali, PhD, LPC
For individuals & families

Therapy

Care for adolescents, adults, and families navigating a digital world.

 For AI & digital health teams

Clinical AI

QA, red teaming, and advisory before your product meets vulnerable users.

 For organizations & events

Speaking

Keynotes and consulting on technology, connection, and wellbeing.
Seen & heard TEDx Houston Business Journal Behavioral Health Tech European Branch ACA Aga Khan University Calian

Becoming what the algorithm cannot be.

The Stranger at My Table How to Reach Your Child When the Algorithm Fills the Gap Anum Ali, PhD, LPC
New book · Coming 2026 from Socratic House

The Stranger at My Table

How to Reach Your Child When the Algorithm Fills the Gap

A clinical field guide for parents who sense that something else is raising their child alongside them. Written for readers of The Anxious Generation, with practical tools for rebuilding the connection no algorithm can offer.

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Services

Choose your door

One clinician, three rooms. Pick the one you need and everything below rearranges for you.

Psychotherapy

Accepting new clients

Individualized therapy through Socratic Psychotherapy, PLLC for adolescents, adults, and families, with a specialization in adolescent digital wellness and technology-related family disruption.

  • DBT, EMDR, TF-CBT, and Gottman methods
  • Adolescent and family digital wellness
  • Care in English, Urdu, Hindi, and Gujarati
  • Telehealth across Texas and Florida
Request a consultation

Psychological Evaluations

Comprehensive psychological evaluations for immigration proceedings, prepared with clinical rigor and cultural context.

  • I-601 extreme hardship waivers
  • Culturally informed assessment
  • Attorney collaboration and timely reports
Ask about evaluations

Clinical AI Product QA

Hands-on evaluation of conversational AI in mental health, testing whether products hold up to clinical scrutiny before they reach vulnerable users.

  • Clinical QA rubric development
  • Red teaming and benchmarking
  • Risk thresholds and escalation pathways
  • Hallucination and fidelity evaluation
Scope an evaluation

Clinical Advisory

Ongoing advisory for digital health companies that need a licensed clinician embedded in product, safety, and strategy decisions.

  • Clinician-in-the-loop product strategy
  • Evidence-based framework translation
  • Bias and cultural responsiveness review
  • Age-appropriate design for youth products
Start a conversation

Keynote Speaking

TEDx speaker with keynotes on four continents, translating clinical research on technology and connection for audiences from physicians to parents.

  • AI and the future of mental health care
  • Youth digital wellness and resilience
  • Burnout prevention for health professionals
  • In person or virtual, including accredited CME/CNE
Book a talk

Organizational Consulting

Workforce mental health, digital wellbeing strategy, and clinical curriculum for employers, health systems, and community institutions.

  • Workforce wellbeing strategy
  • Digital wellbeing curriculum design
  • Program integrity and QA standards
  • Clinical supervision and training
Discuss a project
Speaking

From TEDx to four continents

Watch: The Resilience Revolution, TEDx Sugar Land The Resilience Revolution: Empowering Teens to Thrive on Social Media TEDx Sugar Land Watch: The Silent Pandemic of Loneliness The Silent Pandemic of Loneliness: From Isolation to Belonging The Ismaili USA Watch: The Impact of Screens, 4 Chais The Impact of Screens: From Problems to Solutions 4 Chais · The Ismaili TV
2026

Global Ismaili Health Professionals Conference

Keynote: Burnout Prevention Using the ALI Framework

2025

Calian, Canada

Keynote: Workplace and Organizational Wellness

2025

Global Mental Health Conference, Kenya

Invited speaker

2024

TEDx Sugar Land

The Resilience Revolution: Empowering Teens to Thrive on Social Media

2023

Behavioral Health Tech, Phoenix

Social Media's Impact on Youth Mental Health

Signature talks
  • When the Algorithm Fills the GapWhat AI companions are teaching children about relationships, and what parents can offer that the machine cannot.
  • Clinical Judgment in the Age of AI CareHow organizations can adopt AI without outsourcing the parts of care that must stay human.
  • Healing the HealersAccredited burnout prevention built on the Helper's Exemption Belief and the Excellence Tax.

Available for keynotes, panels, accredited CME/CNE programs, and community workshops, in person or virtual.

Book a talk
The road here

How a therapist ended up testing AI

2012

Psychology at UTSA

BA in Psychology, University of Texas at San Antonio. The question starts here.

2020

Becoming a counselor

MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Then thousands of hours in the therapy room.

2022

Socratic Psychotherapy opens

Private practice launches, alongside teletherapy for a leading digital health platform.

2024

TEDx and the AI turn

The TEDx talk on teen resilience. VP of Clinical Research at an AI mental health startup.

2025

PhD and DigiWell

Doctorate in Counselor Education. The DigiWell Foundation reaches 500+ teens and families.

2026

The Stranger at My Table

The book that brings the clinical frameworks home to every family's table.

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About

The official line, and the honest one

The official line: Anum Ali, PhD, LPC is a licensed professional counselor, clinical AI strategist, counselor educator, and TEDx speaker based in Texas. Her research examined how South Asian parents make decisions about their teenagers' social media lives, and her frameworks are used in clinical practice, digital health products, and family interventions.

The honest one: I became a counselor to sit with people in the moments that matter. I became a clinical AI strategist because those moments are increasingly happening with machines, and someone who knows what real care looks like needs to be in the room where those machines are built.

I am happy to debate clinical AI evaluation frameworks or Bollywood soundtracks. Budget more time for the second one.

Today I move between the therapy room, the product room, the classroom, and the stage. Different rooms, same question: as technology learns to simulate connection, what do humans need to do on purpose that we used to do by default?

Current motto: presence over surveillance.

CredentialsPhD, Licensed Professional Counselor, Texas #84910
CertificationsEMDR (EMDRIA), C-DBT, TF-CBT, Gottman Levels I and II
EducationPhD, Counselor Education, Sam Houston State University
AcademicAdjunct Professor, UHCL & Texas A&M Victoria
LanguagesEnglish, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati
RecognitionWomen Who Mean Business, Houston Business Journal · Emerging Leader, Texas Counseling Association

Let's talk about the human part.

Therapy inquiries, QA and advisory engagements, speaking invitations, media requests. An AI would reply in seconds, but you deserve a human who read your message twice.

Emailanum@dranumali.com
Phone(281) 310-1168
LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/alianumtx
PracticeSocratic Psychotherapy, PLLC · Richmond, Texas
A note on emergenciesThis site and inbox are not monitored for emergencies. If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911.

Therapy inquiries receive a response within two business days.