APS
2026 APS Annual Convention · 2026
"How Did AI Make You Feel?” First-Year Clinical Psychology Students Prefer Traditional Psychotherapy Practice Methods over AI In a Longitudinal Classroom Study
- Ellen Converse
PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium - Ryan Louie
Stanford University - Debra Safer
Stanford University - Bruce Arnow
Stanford University - Jamie Kent
Palo Alto University - Juan Pablo Pacheco
Stanford University - William Fang
Stanford University - Emma Brunskill
Stanford University - Diyi Yang
Stanford University
Abstract
An AI training platform was deployed to evaluate feasibility and perceived value within a doctoral-level psychotherapy curriculum utilizing traditional methods (e.g., roleplays/video practice). Students preferred traditional training for human realism and nuance, though views were mixed. Reservations regarding AI were informed by concerns about data privacy and AI’s environmental impacts.
