Use fidelity-aware simulated patients as a low-risk complement to supervision for deliberate psychotherapy practice¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The authors position the system as supporting deliberate practice — repeated, goal-directed exercises with immediate feedback in controlled environments — rather than replacing supervision. The system "is intended to support deliberate practice by enabling experimentation, reflection, and immediate feedback in low-risk settings", offering unlimited practice where standardized patients and supervision are resource-intensive.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Feedback aligned with established fidelity criteria (ACT-FM dimensions)
• Clinically plausible patient behavior grounded in real transcripts

Constraints¶

• Intended as a complement to traditional supervision, not a replacement

Target Learners¶

• Psychotherapists in training
• Practicing psychotherapists

Target Learning Goals¶

• Deliberate practice of ACT interventions
• Experimentation with alternative therapeutic responses

Related Strategies¶

• Simulation Based Training
• Simulation Based Medical Training
• Simulation Based Practice
• Simulation Based Learning
• Implement AI simulations as complements within a stepped simulation continuum, with layered interaction modes and blended feedback
• Combine real people and artificial agents as complements in blended learning environments

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Pascal Riachi, Sofie Kamber, Stella Brogna, Andrew Gloster, Rafael Wampfler. (2026). Toward Accessible Psychotherapy Training Using AI-Driven Interactive Patient Avatars. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.17786