An AI system for training psychotherapists
Social isolation, remote work, health measures and other changes implemented since the beginning of 2020 have generated that the world population is in constant search of options and tools to face these changes, not only at a personal level, but the business sector has also adopted changes not only in schedules and physical spaces, but has implemented therapies such as therapies, mindfulness and yoga, as part of the working day.
Recently, a group of health professionals is testing the use of an artificial intelligence system to test the effectiveness of therapy sessions, specifically cognitive-behavioral therapies.
Psychologist and research professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine, David Atkins, has been working for 10 years with researchers and scientists dedicated to artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop software that can help qualified therapists sharpen their professional skills.
The high demand for services or the lack of completed training for some professionals are some of the problems affecting this health sector. Atkins stated that "the lack of performance-based feedback and quality indicators has an impact on all behavioral healthcare," data that could serve as a guide and support for other professionals.
The objective of this project is to create a support tool that functions as a training tool for qualified therapists, based on the search for quality care, guaranteeing real and valuable input for patients.
Precisely the feedback is what Atkins is looking for, he stated "when psychotherapists are in training, we often record counseling sessions, which are shared with a supervisor, who will review them and provide performance-based feedback. When we finish training, that feedback ends, but the need to learn and grow does not. Mental health professionals are practicing without feedback on how effective a session was or how to improve their skills," about the software presented.
The team, composed of researchers and collaborators from the universities of Washington, Southern California, and Pennsylvania, demonstrated that the system's mechanism of action is complex, to start the analysis is based on an audio recording, where the participants, therapist and patient are identified, and then the software runs the analysis of the therapist's competencies and personal effectiveness, as well as identifying key behaviors and cognitive factors.
The software will be commercially available through Lyssn, a company founded by Atkins and his colleagues.
You can read more about the research at https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0258639
