Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41426204›Full record

ArticleCurrent directions in psychological science2025

A Framework for Automation in Psychotherapy.

Zac E Imel, Torrey Creed, Brent Kious, Tim Althoff, Dana Atzil-Slonim, Vivek Srikumar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Current directions in psychological science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Zac E ImelUniversity of Utah.
Torrey CreedUniversity of Pennsylvania.
Brent KiousUniversity of Utah.
Tim AlthoffUniversity of Washington.
Dana Atzil-SlonimTuring Institute.
Vivek SrikumarUniversity of Utah.

Funding

Enhancing the quality of CBT in community mental health through AI-generated fidelity feedbackR42MH128101 · NIMH · LYSSN.IO, INC. · PI ATKINS, DAVID CHARLES, CREED, TORREY A. · 2021 to 2024
$2.6M
Voice-based AI to scale evaluation of crisis counseling in 988 rolloutR44MH133517 · NIMH · LYSSN.IO, INC. · PI ATKINS, DAVID CHARLES · 2023 to 2025
$2.1M
ClientBot: A conversational agent that supports skills practice and feedback for Motivational Interviewing for AUDR44AA028463 · NIAAA · LYSSN.IO, INC. · PI ATKINS, DAVID CHARLES · 2020 to 2022
$2.1M
Development and feasibility of computer based fidelity monitoring for MIR34DA034860 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI IMEL, ZACHARY E. · 2013 to 2015
$739k
Predicting point-of-care outcomes for text message crisis interventions in teensR21MH135280 · NIMH · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI KIOUS, BRENT MICHAEL, SRIKUMAR, VIVEK · 2024 to 2025
$403k
NIAAA NIH HHS R44 AA028463NIDA NIH HHS R34 DA034860NIMH NIH HHS R21 MH135280NIMH NIH HHS R42 MH128101NIMH NIH HHS R44 MH133517
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Psychotherapy is a conversational intervention that has relied on humans to manage its implementation. Improvements in conversational artificial intelligence (AI) have accompanied speculation on how technologies might automate components of psychotherapy, most often the replacement of human therapists. However, there is a spectrum of opportunities for human collaboration with autonomous systems in psychotherapy, including evaluation, documentation, training, and assistance. Clarity about what is being automated is necessary to understand the affordances and limitations of specific technologies. As a guidepost for empirical and ethical inquiry, we present a framework for categories of autonomous systems in psychotherapy. Categories include scripted or rule-based conversations, collaborative systems where humans are evaluated by, supervise, or are assisted by AI, and agents that generate interventions. These categories highlight considerations for key stakeholders as psychotherapy moves from unmediated human-to-human conversation to various forms of automation.

Identifiers

PMID41426204
PMCPMC12716858

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.