Specialists in Artificial Intelligence

• Tell us about your current professional roles and activities.

I’m a faculty member at the University of Washington in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, where I lead a portfolio of research focused on serious mental illness and early psychosis. I supervise psychology and psychiatry trainees, treat outpatients and supervise inpatient CBTp groups, and hold a number of state and organizational contracts across the country to train practitioners in cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp). I also have the privilege of serving as the President of the North American CBT for Psychosis Network, an international professional organization committed to enhancing access to high-fidelity CBTp.

• How do you utilize artificial intelligence in your professional activities? 

Psychotherapy training has historically been quite costly and difficult to scale, so in 2019 I applied to the NIH for a small business technology transfer grant to develop an online CBT training tool that leverages advances in natural language processing and machine learning. I developed this tool with a company called LYSSN.IO, which grew out of my home department at the University of Washington. We not only succeeded in creating, validating, and rigorously testing a Human-in-the-Loop AI-enhanced CBT training tool, but this tool was also brought to market at a time when the demand for mental health care far exceeds the supply of qualified mental health professionals.

• What advice would you give to psychologists or trainees interested in integrating artificial intelligence into their professional activities?

Speaking to those who may be interested in developing such tools, my advice is “Team Science for the win!” When I set out to write the grant proposal, I tried to consume as much information as I could about machine learning. While this helped me achieve some literacy and conversational skills in the area, I was working with a team of machine learning experts, so I could focus on bringing my expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy and adult principles of learning to the table. 

Speaking to those who may be interested in leveraging AI in their practice, my advice is to be highly selective. The AI market is already expansive and we are still in early days. Open models are trained on massive, multipurpose datasets. While they can often sound credible, they are vulnerable to misinformation, bias, security issues, and other hazards. AI tools that use supervised models on bespoke, labeled datasets that were tested for explicit purposes (e.g., rating psychotherapy sessions on key quality metrics; mining clinical datasets for symptom constellations) are far more deserving of our time, attention, and trust. Even then, these tools should be used to enhance rather than replace human judgment, knowledge, and skills. 

• What do you enjoy most about your job?

My work is intellectually stimulating and requires a high degree of creative problem solving. It requires the kinds of cognitive flexibility that I preach to my clients, so it keeps me honest. Most of all, this is high impact work that allows me to see the fruits of my labor, whether with a client, a trainee, or a system of care. I know each day I come to work I’m making our mental health system a little bit better. 

• What inspired you to get board certified?

Getting board certified felt like the right next step in my work leading CBT training, implementation, and research. As president of an international organization dedicated to advancing CBTp, I wanted to set a strong example while pushing for broader access to evidence-based psychotherapeutics – especially for those who’ve historically had the least access. I also credit my postdoctoral fellowship director, Dr. Nadine Kaslow, who strongly encouraged board certification. I now do the same for my trainees.

• How has board certification contributed to your professional activities?

The validation of my knowledge base and competencies by some of the foremost experts in CBT was a helpful antidote to any lingering symptoms of Imposter Syndrome!

• What advice would you give to psychologists or trainees interested in pursuing board certification?

I would suggest pursuing board certification regardless of your career stage. While the application process takes time, it’s nice to have the opportunity to reflect on your work, your “why,” and your trajectory. The preparation for the exam was also incredibly helpful. I was surprised how enjoyable it was to talk shop with the panel (even if I was the one doing 90% of the talking).