Click Here to Train

Fighting

Childhood Obesity

Practice Talking to Parents About Changing Their Family's Diet & Activity

Designed for Healthcare Providers

Train for Free

Virtual Role-Player Kelly Robinson Helps Healthcare Providers Prepare for Conversations About Childhood Obesity

In the fight against obesity, healthcare providers are the people most likely to be able promote behavior change.

Talking to a parent about their child’s weight can be especially uncomfortable.

Now providers can practice this difficult conversation in a safe environment where any mistakes will be a learning opportunity and do no harm.

Female Doctor working with Simmersion's Virtual role-player Kelly to train

Click here to watch a video on ways to use this training.

Click here to download a summary of the training.

After a review of the learning materials and some practice users will be able to:

  • Discuss a patient's activities and diet openly and collaboratively without judgement
  • Utilize the Ml process of engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning with a client
  • Develop a collaborative client-centered therapeutic relationship
  • Demonstrate respect by being culturally sensitive
  • Effectively utilize Open-Ended Questions, Affirming, Reflective Listening, and Summarizing (OARS) during an intervention
  • Use rulers to have a client self-assess and communicate their motivation
  • Elicit change talk to strengthen a client's motivation
  • Express empathy during a session in an appropriate manner
  • Communicate concerns and set achievable goals while offering continued support for the future

Kelly explains the role she plays

SIMmersion's PeopleSim® Technology

This training system was created using the PeopleSim® technology, a SIMmersion proprietary technology used for a variety of applications. For these practice systems, each user statement typically has from 7 to 15 responses. To choose the response given by the role-player, the PeopleSim technology calculates probabilities for each of the possible responses based on current conditions, and then uses the probabilities to select a response. The probability calculations are based on one of the role-player's different randomly selected personalities and on the relationship the user has developed with the role-player during the conversation. Then these probabilities are used to make a random response selection. Click here to read more about SIMmersion’s PeopleSim Technology. Click here to watch a video about SIMmersion’s PeopleSim Technology.

Funding & Research Partners

This training system was developed with support from the Centers for Disease Control (Grant # R44 DP005954).

System development was in collaboration with Dr. Nancy Sherwood from HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research; Dr. Jayne Fulkerson and Dr. Iris Borowsky from the University of Minnesota; and a panel of practicing pediatricians, pediatric nurses, and social workers.