Version 1
: Received: 3 July 2024 / Approved: 4 July 2024 / Online: 5 July 2024 (00:03:37 CEST)
How to cite:
Ni, Y.; Cao, Y. Assessing ChatGPT’s Efficacy and Potential in Conducting Psychological Counseling through Simulations in School Counseling. Preprints2024, 2024070451. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0451.v1
Ni, Y.; Cao, Y. Assessing ChatGPT’s Efficacy and Potential in Conducting Psychological Counseling through Simulations in School Counseling. Preprints 2024, 2024070451. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0451.v1
Ni, Y.; Cao, Y. Assessing ChatGPT’s Efficacy and Potential in Conducting Psychological Counseling through Simulations in School Counseling. Preprints2024, 2024070451. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0451.v1
APA Style
Ni, Y., & Cao, Y. (2024). Assessing ChatGPT’s Efficacy and Potential in Conducting Psychological Counseling through Simulations in School Counseling. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0451.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Ni, Y. and Yanzhuo Cao. 2024 "Assessing ChatGPT’s Efficacy and Potential in Conducting Psychological Counseling through Simulations in School Counseling" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.0451.v1
Abstract
Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) has shown strong capabilities in providing low-cost and timely interventions for a wide range of people and increasing well-being. Therefore, this study examined ChatGPT’s efficacy in conducting psychological counseling and its potential for providing accessible psychological interventions, especially in school settings. This study assessed the strengths and limitations of AI to inform future research. Data were generated from ChatGPT’s responses to 80 counseling questions that college students asked during a school counseling setting. All the responses generated during these simulated counseling sessions were then analyzed using three primary metrics—warmth, empathy, and acceptance—following APA guidelines. The analysis adopted several natural language processing methodologies for emotion detection and empathy measurement to quantify ChatGPT’s high efficacy in presenting the appropriate emotions and reactions for counseling. Some responses demonstrated randomness, which is crucial for consideration regarding the use of ChatGPT or relevant technology in psychological counseling. The Discussion section also highlights future directions in the application of conversational AI to enhance students’ mental health.
Public Health and Healthcare, Health Policy and Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
