CBT Training for Treating Clients with Substance Abuse Disorder

$75 for Annual User License

(group discounts available)

Developed with World-Class Subject-Matter Experts†

Designed to Supplement Classroom Training

and to Support Practicing Clinicians
Purchase Here

Practice & Build CBT Skills with Virtual Role-Players

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Training for Treating Clients with Substance Abuse Disorder is an interactive suite of role-play simulation that provides opportunities for clinicians, and clinicians in training, to practice their skills while receiving real-time feedback.

The Research: Training Significantly Improves CBT Skills

The 2020 study tests whether this simulation improves trainee skills for the treatment of clients with substance use disorders. Graduate students (N = 65; social work, clinical psychology) completed standardized patient (SP) interviews, were randomized to the simulation training program or manual comparison condition (Project MATCH manual) and completed SP interviews three months post-baseline. Results indicated a significant group effect, with students assigned to the simulation training program showing greater improvement in “extensiveness” and “skillfulness” ratings across three skill categories:

General agenda setting (p-value =.03)

Explaining CBT concepts (p-value=.007)

Understanding of CBT concepts (p-value=.001)

Research by Mastroleo et al. To read the paper, click here

Role-Play Simulations

Tanisha Mosley is looking to cut back on her drinking and reduce her stress. Practice introducing her to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a method to help change her drinking habits.

Roger Ellison has been working through CBT techniques to help reduce his drinking. Help him fill out a self-monitoring record and examine a recent drinking episode to show how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact with each other during an episode.

Melody Denison has been using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to reduce her drinking. In this session, practice building a change plan and identifying her motivations and barriers for change.

Practice and Build Skills

Use Core CBT Skills to Reducing Alcohol Use

Set Agenda and maintain session structure

Explain core concepts of CBT

Describe why CBT works for changing drinking behaviors

Describe connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

Individualize CBT for specific client needs

Discuss recent drinking episode

Use examples and worksheets to explain concepts

Assign and review homework

Relationships

Collaboration

Conversational tone

Empathy

SIMmersion's PeopleSim® Technology

These training systems were 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 a role-player response, 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 role-players different randomly selected personalities and on the relationship the user has developed with him during the conversation.

Role-players start each session with a cautious frame of mind. Everything the user says is rated according to the impact it has on the relationship with the role-player, thus as the conversation proceeds, the relationship will evolve. Click here to read more about SIMmersion’s PeopleSim Technology or watch the video.

†Subject Matter Experts

System development was in collaboration with Binghamton University's Dr. Nadine Mastroleo, Brown University's Dr. Molly Magill, and a panel of experts from Binghamton University, Brown University, and Yale University

Credits

This work was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [Grant number R44AA023719].