Simulated Humans in Psychotherapy Research: Where Did All the Humans Go?

Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, A Live Webinar

This webinar addresses the critical shift from traditional human-to-human therapy to models incorporating AI, asking what happens when we replace one or both participants with a machine. Dr. Creed will discuss the application of AI in training human therapists, evaluating their skillfulness in therapy sessions, and examine the vital need to evaluate AI-delivered treatment. The talk will explore key challenges, including benchmarking the potential harms and safety concerns of LLMs when interacting with vulnerable clients and assessing the quality of AI's conversational behaviors. We will conclude with a consideration of how to prioritize goals to avoid the “rabbit hole” of trying to simulate everything.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), APA Continuing Education credits (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Participation Credit (1.00 hours)

1. Describe at least two ways simulated humans can currently contribute to psychotherapy training and research.
2. Identify at least one fundamental challenge faced by researchers in developing simulated patients.
3. Identify at least one fundamental challenge faced by researchers in evaluating AI acting as a therapist.
4. Articulate considerations for prioritizing simulation goals to avoid the “rabbit hole” of trying to simulate everything.

In support of improving patient care, Stanford Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 
 
Credit Designation 
American Medical Association (AMA) 
Stanford Medicine designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

American Psychological Association (APA) 
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

Cancellation Policy
Stanford University School of Medicine reserves the right to cancel or postpone this program if necessary.

Accessibility Statement
 Stanford University School of Medicine is committed to ensuring that its programs, services, goods and facilities are accessible to individuals with disabilities as specified under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008.  If you have needs that require visual, auditory, cognitive, or mobility accommodations, please contact the coordinator.

Cultural and Linguistic Competency
The planners and speakers of this CME activity have been encouraged to address cultural issues relevant to their topic area for the purpose of complying with California Assembly Bill 1195. Moreover, the Stanford University School of Medicine Multicultural Health Portal contains many useful cultural and linguistic competency tools including culture guides, language access information and pertinent state and federal laws.  You are encouraged to visit the Multicultural Health Portal: https://laneguides.stanford.edu/multicultural-health


For activity related questions, please contact
     Name: Holly Meyer
     Title: Compliance Coordinator
     Email: [email protected]

For CME general questions, please contact 
     Email: [email protected]

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Stanford Medicine adheres to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.

The content of this activity is not related to products or the business lines of an ACCME-defined ineligible company. Hence, there are no relevant financial relationships with an ACCME-defined ineligible company for anyone who was in control of the content of this activity.