Evaluating psychology students’ willingness to use AI-driven clients for training text-based counseling skills
Type of research: Qualitative empirical
Description:
The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming mental health care, particularly through the increasing use of text-based counseling. Despite this shift, psychology students receive limited training in practicing counseling skills in digital environments. AI-driven virtual clients may offer a promising and scalable solution by allowing students to practice counseling skills in a safe, interactive, and ethically controlled setting.
In the MSc course Compassionate Technology at the University of Twente, an AI-driven client is developed as a training tool for online counseling skills. However, attitudes of students towards using this tool are still unknown. The focus of the thesis is to evaluate psychology students’ willingness to use AI-driven clients for training purposes, as well as the factors that influence this willingness.
The study will examine students’ attitudes, expectations, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and ethical concerns related to interacting with AI-based clients. Depending on the student’s interests, the thesis may also explore how willingness relates to factors such as prior experience with technology, self-efficacy, or perceived relevance for future professional practice.
Research activities may include:
- Designing interviews or focus groups to assess students’ willingness to use AI-driven clients
- Collecting and analyzing qualitative data
- Evaluating students’ experiences after interacting with an AI-driven client
- Interpreting findings in relation to existing literature on technology acceptance, digital mental health, and psychology education