Live Webinar May 15 - AI Applications for Training and Therapy: Emerging Technologies and Ethical Considerations with Dr. Betsy Stade and Dr. Shannon Wiltsey Stirman

Thursday, May 15, 2025

12:00 PM- 1:30 PM Eastern/ 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Central/ 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Mountain/ 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Pacific/ 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Alaska/7:00 AM - 8:30 AM Hawaii

1.5 CE Credits Awarded

$15 Student ABCT Members / $25 ABCT Members / $35 Non-Members

Intermediate level

All prices listed in US currency

Abstract:

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are proliferating and have the potential to offer engaging and scalable ways to support treatment offer between-session support for patients, and even fully-automated interventions, as well as therapist training. We will provide an overview of these technologies, focusing on large language model based tools (e.g., those based on models like GPT-4o, Claude, or other language models). We will also discuss considerations for their development and evaluation, including user experience research, rigorous safety testing, and collaborating with patients and clinicians during development. We will share a framework for evaluation and key directions for establishing safety, efficacy, and equitable access to effective treatment.

Presenter Biography:

Shannon Wiltsey Stirman is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford and a Psychologist at the National Center for PTSD's Dissemination and Training Division. Areas of research emphasis include implementation science (particularly training, fidelity, adaptation and sustainment), evidence-based treatment for PTSD, depression, and suicide prevention, and use of technology to support access to evidence-based mental health interventions. With collaborators, she developed the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications- Expanded (FRAME) for interventions and the FRAME for Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS). As a co-lead of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science's Mental Health Innovation and Technology Hub, she worked with a team at Stanford to develop Pause a Moment, a digital wellbeing program for healthcare workers who experience COVID-19 stressors (pam.stanford.edu). Most recently, she has been working on the use of Large Language Models to support implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions. She is the co-author of Getting Unstuck from PTSD: Using Cognitive Processing Therapy to Guide Your Recovery. She has served on the Board of Directors for the American Psychological Association and as the Chair of the Established Network of Expertise for the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration. She was awarded the Association of Behavior and Cognitive Therapy's Mid-Career Innovator award in 2018. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, VA QUERI, private foundations, and the Canadian Institute for Health Research.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Stade is a computational clinical psychologist and research scientist at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI working in the Fidelity, Adaptation, Sustainability, and Training lab (PI: Shannon Wiltsey Stirman) and the Computational Psychology and Well-Being lab (PI: Johannes Eichstaedt) . Betsy studies how AI and large language models can be used for psychological assessment and treatment. She also uses natural language processing to measure and understand psychopathology, like depression and anxiety. Betsy did her graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania and her clinical residency at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, and is a licensed clinical psychologist in California. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation. 

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this workshop, the learner will be able to:

1) Discuss the state of the evidence for different applications for AI-based training and psychotherapy tools
2) Identify important factors to evaluate when considering the use and implementation of LLM-based technologies for psychotherapy
3) Describe how large language models are tailored for specialty mental health applications and the implications for development of effective, culturally appropriate clinical and training tools
4) Explain important considerations for using AI to train and evaluate psychotherapists

Recommended Readings:

1. Stade, E. C., Stirman, S. W., Ungar, L. H., Boland, C. L., Schwartz, H. A., Yaden, D. B., Sedoc, J., DeRubeis, R. J., Willer, R., & Eichstaedt, J. C. (2024). Large language models could change the future of behavioral healthcare: A proposal for responsible development and evaluation. Npj Mental Health Research, 3(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184...

2. Obradovich, N., Khalsa, S. S., Khan, W. U., Suh, J., Perlis, R. H., Ajilore, O., & Paulus, M. P. (2024). Opportunities and risks of large language models in psychiatry. NPP—Digital Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 2(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44277-024-00010-z

3. Schueller, S. M., & Morris, R. R. (2023). Clinical science and practice in the age of large language models and generative artificial intelligence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 91(10), 559–561. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000848

About The Moderator: Dr. Brittany N. Hall-Clark is an Associate Professor within the Division of Behavioral Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She also serves as the Director of Inclusive Behavioral Health Advancement for the STRONG STAR Training Initiative (SSTI). She is a consultant for SSTI as well as the National Center for PTSD Consultation Program.  Dr. Hall-Clark also practices privately at InSight Psychology and Behavioral Health Services in Pflugerville, TX.

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All attendees will receive a certificate of completion when the course requirements are satisfied. Certificate of completion is included in the cost of the webinar

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For more information, contact:

Rachel Lamb, ABCT Membership and Marketing Manager
212-647-1890 ext. 209
rlamb@abct.org

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