Usability and acceptability assessment of an empathic virtual agent to prevent major depression

In Human-Computer Interaction, the adaptation of the content and the way of how this content is communicated to the users in interactive sessions is a critical issue to promote the acceptability and usability of any computational system. We present a user-adapted interactive platform to identify and provide an early intervention for symptoms of depression and suicide. In particular, we describe the work performed to assess users' system acceptability and usability. An empathic Virtual Agent is the main interface with the user, and it has been designed to generate the appropriate dialogues and emotions during the interactions according to the detected user's specific needs. This personalization is based on a dynamic user model nurtured with clinical, demographical and behavioural information. The evaluation was performed with 60 participants from the university community. The obtained results were promising, allowing the execution of a further clinical trial. The system's usability score was 75.7%, and the score of the user-adapted content and the emotional responses of the Virtual Agent was 70.9%.The work presented in this manuscript has been partially funded by the Conselleria de Sanidad of Generalitat Valenciana, in the research project entitled 'Sistema computacional de ayuda a la prevencion de episodios de depresion y suicidio - PREVENDEP'. We thank the company Faceshift (www.faceshift.com) for providing their software to perform facial motion capture in order to develop the talking head that represent our empathic virtual agent.Bresó Guardado, A.; Martinez-Miranda, J.; Botella Arbona, C.; Baños Rivera, RM.; García Gómez, JM. (2016). Usability and acceptability assessment of an empathic virtual agent to prevent major depression. Expert Systems. 33(4):297-312. doi:10.1111/exsy.12151S29731233

Identifying Motivations of New Counselors for Continuing Professional Development of Multicultural Competencies: A Qualitative Study

The need to increase multicultural counseling skills is a crucial area of focus in the continued evolution of the counseling profession. This necessity is due to a number of factors, including the ongoing demographic and societal changes in the United States. The research has helped to bring awareness of the need for increased and continued professional development in the area of cultural literacy and multicultural competencies skills for beginning counselors and others in counseling-related programs. At the micro level, the research investigated new clinicians’ self-awareness of their own biases, assumptions, internalized/externalized actions, and beliefs toward other cultures. The purpose of the study was, therefore to identify the motivations of new counselors for continuing professional development of multicultural competencies. The research discussed the internal motivators and external perceptions beginning counselors had of their curricula, required professional development, and personal decisions to continue skill development. The data was collected from seven participants using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the qualitative approach of Grounded Theory. The findings produced several primary codes, which, once further analyzed, revealed themes leading to three theoretical statements. These themes include motivations for cultural knowledge, skills, and exposure; motivations for fulfilling the standards and ideals of the counseling profession; and motivations for self-discovery and a desire to learn new skills. The thoughts and discussions the participants shared helped to reveal information that may lead to improved individual counseling relationships, improved outcomes for clients, and overall evidence-based practices

Black Effect: Black Students\u27 Experiences in CACREP Master\u27s Programs at HBCUs

African American students’ experiences in graduate programs at predominately White institutions (PWIs) have been explored in previous research. Said experiences were described using the following constructs: underrepresentation, invisibility, isolation, lack of support, and silence. There is minimal research that focuses on Black students’ experiences at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), where the environment was reported to be welcoming, nurturing, and supportive. This study adds to the literature by exploring the lived experiences of African American students in CACREP-accredited master’s counseling programs at HBCUs, with critical race theory (CRT) as the theoretical framework. After being identified as eligible based on a screening survey, semi-structured interviews and photovoice were implemented to allow space for the six participants to share their experiences. The following five themes and subthemes emerged from an analysis of their responses: relationship dynamics with the subthemes of representation, faculty, peers, and isolation; climate with the subthemes of program, HBCUs, and challenges; being Black; scholarship with the subthemes of CACREP and academic transactions; and COVID. Participants shared mostly positive experiences, noting the family feel of their programs, the pleasant relationships with their faculty, connectedness to their peers, and a sense of empowerment because of their Blackness. Implications for counselor educators suggest making the conscious effort to communicate in a timely manner, make students feel welcome, and teach from a multicultural lens

Building My Professional Identity

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2023-2024 Lindenwood University Graduate Course Catalog

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2021-2022 Lindenwood University Graduate Course Catalog

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2022-2023 Lindenwood University Graduate Course Catalog

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