1 - (SYM 20) An Ai-driven Virtual Patient Platform for Training CBT Practitioners Against Competencies: Pilot Study of CBT Trainer

Background: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) training faces significant challenges including supervised practice with diverse cases, inconsistent feedback, resource-intensive supervision, and difficulties standardizing competence assessment.
 

Objective: This study evaluated the acceptability and feasibility of CBT Trainer, the first virtual patient platform to provide real-time feedback aligned with established competence frameworks. The mobile application trains psychological practitioners through the use of standardized AI patient interactions and the evaluation of therapist responses against competence frameworks to enable structured skill development in a controlled, repeatable environment that complements traditional training methods.
 

Methods: This mixed-methods pilot study employed a two-stage approach. Stage 1 involved usability testing with four participants. Stage 2 included 59 participants from psychological practitioner training programs (a Low Intensity CBT Interventions Programme and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) who engaged with the CBT Trainer voluntarily over one month. Measures of impact included the System Usability Scale (SUS), platform naturalistic engagement, post-study questionnaire on perceived learning outcomes and qualitative feedback.
 

Results: Participants engaged voluntarily with the platform for an average of 95.24 minutes (SD=134.58, median=45.34) of active roleplay. Platform usability was rated as excellent (mean SUS=82.20, SD=12.93). Self-reported competence improvement improved most in assessment skills (96.7%) and information gathering (66.7%). Qualitative feedback highlighted strengths in competence-aligned feedback, on-demand accessibility, and a psychologically safe practice space.
 

Conclusions: This pilot study provides evidence that an AI-based patient simulation shows promise as a supplementary training tool for psychological therapists who use CBT in their practice, particularly regarding accessibility and immediate feedback. Future research should employ randomized controlled designs with objective competence assessments.