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Thrilled to share that Alison Cerezo, PhD served on the American Psychological Association's advisory board for their groundbreaking Health Advisory on the Use of Generative AI Chatbots and Wellness Applications for Mental Health! This prestigious appointment recognizes Alison Cerezo, PhD's expertise in the intersection of AI technology and mental health care. The advisory board addressed one of the most pressing issues of our time: how to ensure AI-powered mental health tools are safe, effective, and scientifically validated. Key focus areas of this important initiative included: • Establishing evidence-based standards for digital mental health tools • Promoting transparency in AI development for healthcare • Ensuring proper regulation and oversight of wellness applications • Training clinicians on responsible AI integration in practice As the APA notes, "We are in the midst of a major mental health crisis that requires systemic solutions, not just technological stopgaps." This advisory work was crucial for ensuring that AI serves as a complement to, not replacement for, human mental health professionals. Congratulations, Alison Cerezo, PhD, on this well-deserved recognition of your leadership in responsible AI development for mental health care. Read more about the APA Health Advisory: https://lnkd.in/gVJjePqZ #AI #MentalHealth #APA #DigitalHealth #WellnessApps #ResponsibleAI #mpathic

Our Founder & CEO, Grin Lord, joined Deep Dhillon on xyonix's Your AI Injection podcast to talk about what happens when empathic AI meets real human vulnerability. They dig into: • How a single brief session of empathic listening in an ER led to massive drops in repeat drunk-driving incidents and billions in healthcare savings—and how that same science now informs mpathic’s models for analyzing clinician–patient conversations. • Why precision empathy is measurable, teachable, and predictive of better clinical outcomes. • How mpathic’s AI helps life sciences organizations monitor protocol fidelity, reduce risk, and surface safety signals (like suicidality or emerging psychosis) in hours of trial conversations by augmenting human clinicians. The future of human-centered AI safety: why psychologists need a seat at the table when foundational models are deployed in high-risk settings, and how better listening behavior in AI can support (not substitute) real-world human connection. If you’re building or deploying AI in healthcare, behavioral health, or clinical trials, this conversation is a must-listen.  Listen to “Does Your Chatbot Know You’re Suicidal? AI Empathy, Psychosis Detection, and Clinical Trials with Grin Lord of mpathic” here: https://lnkd.in/g8ST_smE Thank you to Deep and the Xyonix team for the thoughtful discussion and for spotlighting how AI can make care safer, more accurate, and more human. #AI #Healthcare #ClinicalTrials #AISafety #HumanCenteredAI #MentalHealth

AI has the potential to scale access, personalize care, and reshape behavioral health - but without scientific validation, it’s just noise. In mental health, trust isn’t a feature; it’s a requirement. We're excited to share that our SVP of Data and Research, Alison Cerezo, PhD will join Caitlin Stamatis, PhD of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies (U.S.), Jennifer Huberty, PhD, and moderator Amy Kruse of Satori Capital for a timely panel at Behavioral Health Tech on why scientific rigor must lead the way in AI development. At mpathic, we’re psychologists and engineers building the QA and safety infrastructure for behavioral AI—ensuring that what’s built actually works, stays safe, and respects the nuances of human communication.

At mpathic, we're proud to collaborate with innovators like Compass Pathways who are shaping the future of mental health treatment. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to advancing safe, effective, and trustworthy psychedelic treatments. In psychedelic clinical trials, maintaining fidelity to protocol is essential — for participant safety, data integrity, and scientific credibility. Our AI-enabled platform, mpathic Studio, automates oversight by capturing and analyzing 100% of pre-dosing, dosing, and post-dosing sessions. By combining human expertise with AI precision, we’re making it possible to scale safe and effective psychedelic therapy worldwide.

Recording conversations for training isn't revolutionary, it's becoming routine. While we debate the logistics of audio recording for MI coaching, healthcare organizations are already implementing ambient documentation tools. Sales teams routinely record calls for AI-powered coaching. Even therapy platforms are building conversation analysis into their workflows. The question isn't whether recording will become standard practice. It's whether the MI training community will lead this transition or lag behind it. Here's what excites many trainers: the barriers that once made practical, ongoing MI fidelity measurement impossible are disappearing. Automatic transcription, PII redaction, secure cloud storage, and yes, validated AI coding systems, are no longer "someday" technologies. This creates unprecedented opportunities: • Trainers can focus on relationship and strategy instead of manual coding tasks • Organizations can afford ongoing fidelity monitoring, not just one-time workshops • Learners can practice with immediate feedback instead of waiting weeks for results • MI training can finally scale to match the demand we see in healthcare, social services, and beyond Through our partnership with The IFIOC (Institute for Individual and Organizational Change), mpathic’s preferred provider of fidelity-based MI training, organizations gain access not only to AI-driven insights, but also to expert human coaching that reinforces the skills shown to drive meaningful behavior change, building on the work of the global MI community. The technology exists to democratize what was once available only to well-funded research studies. The question is: how will we use it to expand access to quality MI training? Fellow trainers: what possibilities do you see when the technical barriers to ongoing fidelity measurement disappear? By combining decades of fidelity-based training experience with real-time feedback technology, this collaboration helps scale what so many in the MI community have worked to achieve: deeper, measurable practice that stays true to the spirit of MI.

"We want our staff to use MI" is not the same as "We want our staff to deliver evidence-based motivational interviewing." The distinction matters, especially as MI principles become more mainstream and organizations rush to implement "MI-informed" approaches. True MI fidelity isn't about just using reflections occasionally or asking open-ended questions. It's about the strategic integration of skills that research shows actually drives behavior change: accurate empathy, collaborative partnership, and the ability to recognize and cultivate change talk. When organizations invest in MI training without measuring fidelity, they often end up with well-intentioned conversations that miss the mark. Staff feel like they're "doing MI," but client outcomes don't improve. Leaders get frustrated. The approach gets abandoned. The solution isn't less rigor, it's more accessible rigor. That’s why we partnered with The IFIOC (Institute for Individual and Organizational Change) to integrate the MICA fidelity tool—a rigorously validated, real-world framework informed by decades of MI research and community practice, designed to measure the intention behind MI, not just the behavior. Now, with MICA-AI, that fidelity can be tracked instantly—supported by expert training and coaching from IFIOC trainers who helped shape this next step in the evolution of MI application. What if fidelity measurement could be as routine as checking your reflection in a mirror? What if every training participant could see their MI adherence scores not as judgment, but as a compass pointing toward growth? This isn't about perfectionism. It's about ensuring that when we say we're training people in MI, we're actually equipping them with the skills that research shows make a difference. How do you help organizations understand the difference between MI-flavored conversations and evidence-based MI practice?

Manual coding is the backbone of effective MI training and often the bottleneck that limits our impact. As MINT trainers, we know that coded feedback transforms learning. When learners can see their reflection-to-question ratio, understand their empathy scores, and track their progress on cultivating change talk, real skill development happens. But here's what keeps many of us up at night: the time and cost of quality coding. We’ve seen organizations skip the feedback and coding component entirely because they don’t have time or budget. And witnessed the frustration when feedback arrives two weeks after a session, when the conversation is barely a memory. The irony? While we're spending hours on what one trainer called "rote tasks," we could be focusing on what we do best - the nuanced coaching, the relationship building, the moment-to-moment guidance that only experienced human trainers can provide. That’s where our collaboration with The IFIOC (Institute for Individual and Organizational Change) comes in. Their MICA framework - grounded in the shared work of the global MI community - has supported thousands of practitioners in developing measurable MI proficiency. Now, paired with our automated coding engine, trainers can access those insights in real time while focusing their energy on deeper, more transformative coaching. For fellow trainers: What would your training programs look like if coding happened instantly? How might that change what you could offer organizations … and how many people you could reach? MICA-AI, built on the MICA framework. This collaboration brings together scalable feedback tools and human expertise to support MI trainers everywhere in advancing skill development and fidelity - without losing the heart of what makes MI transformative.

The truth about MI training: doing a training once is not enough to be a great motivational interviewer. Participants leave workshops energized and equipped with knowledge, but can they still consistently implement MI into their daily conversations when it counts? Enter: The practice-performance gap. Research consistently shows that skill acquisition requires practice with feedback, yet most MI training programs lack sufficient resources for learners to record themselves, receive coded feedback, and iterate on their approach throughout the year. The question for trainers: How are you bridging the gap between MI knowledge and MI application in your programs? What creative solutions have you found to provide ongoing practice opportunities beyond the initial workshop? And yes, we have a solution in mind for you. 😊 mpathic Studio opens October 22, developed in collaboration with The IFIOC (Institute for Individual and Organizational Change), a globally respected leader in fidelity-based MI training and home of the independently validated MICA tool. This partnership builds on the work of the broader MI community as we explore how AI and gold-standard coaching can help bridge the gap from training to real-world practice. Stay tuned for details!

In MI training, the gap between learning the theory and actually doing MI in practice has always been the challenge. Attending a workshop or watching demonstrations can spark interest and teach the fundamentals. But without ongoing fidelity measurement and feedback, those skills rarely translate into consistent practice. Research shows that MI proficiency requires structured practice with objective feedback. Yet fidelity monitoring has traditionally been resource intensive, making it inaccessible for many training programs and organizations. This article explores: • Why fidelity measurement is essential for MI skill development, not just a nice to have • The difference between learning about MI and actually implementing it with clients • How technology is making consistent fidelity monitoring finally feasible at scale • What validated measurement tools can offer trainers and organizations The stakes are higher than ever. As MI becomes more widely adopted across healthcare, social services, and leadership contexts, ensuring true fidelity to the approach matters. Without it, we risk diluting what makes MI effective. When trainers and organizations can access reliable fidelity measurement, they can move beyond checkbox training toward genuine skill development that improves outcomes. Read the full article and get involved in this shift: **mpathic Studio uses MICA coding, collaborating with The IFIOC (Institute for Individual and Organizational Change), internationally recognized as a premiere provider of fidelity-based Motivational Interviewing (MI) training, coaching, and consultation. As the creators of the independently validated MICA (Motivational Interviewing Competency Assessment), IFIOC has been at the forefront of translating research into real-world outcomes. Our exclusive collaboration with them ensures that MICA-AI not only meets the gold standard of MI fidelity measurement but also brings scalable, research-backed skill development to trainers and organizations worldwide.