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Virtual Agent for Real-Time Motivational Interviewing by Integrating Adaptive Nonverbal Behavior and Language Models
Published on: December 23, 2025
Objective structured clinical interview training using a virtual human patient
Thomas D Parsons1, Patrick Kenny, Celestine A Ntuen
1Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90292-4019, USA. tparsons@usc.edu
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
|April 9, 2008
Summary
Virtual patients offer a scalable solution for training mental health clinicians in interview skills. This approach overcomes limitations of human standardized patients, enhancing training reliability and accessibility for psychiatry residents.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychotherapy Training
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Effective interview skills are crucial for psychiatry residents and psychotherapists.
- Traditional training methods using standardized patients face limitations in diversity, cost, and reliability.
- Virtual Human Agent (VHA) technology presents a novel avenue for developing advanced training applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the utility of virtual patients (VP) in mental health clinical training.
- To present an approach for developing and utilizing virtual patients for skill acquisition.
- To demonstrate the potential of VHA technology in emulating patient interactions for training.
Main Methods:
- Development of a virtual patient (VP) application using VHA technology.
- The VP emulates an adolescent male with conduct disorder.
- Novice mental health clinicians conduct interviews with the virtual patient.
Main Results:
- The study presents a preliminary framework for developing mental health training applications.
- The approach facilitates the creation of interactive training scenarios.
- The developed components enable rapid development of mental health applications.
Conclusions:
- Virtual patient technology offers a promising, scalable, and reliable alternative to traditional standardized patients.
- This approach can significantly enhance the training of interview skills for mental health professionals.
- Further development in VHA technology can broaden applications in mental health education and practice.
