AI Meets TEAM-CBT: A New Era in Psychotherapy Training

Hosts:
Dr. David Burns
Kevin Cornelius, LMFT

Guest:
Dr. Jill Levitt

What if you could practice your therapy skills anytime, anywhere, with a training partner who never gets tired, never loses patience, and always has something to teach you?

In today's episode of the Feeling Good Podcast, Dr. David Burns and Kevin Cornelius welcome back Dr. Jill Levitt, clinical psychologist and Director of Training at the Feeling Good Institute, to introduce CBT Pro, an innovative new training platform that combines TEAM-CBT, deliberate practice, and artificial intelligence.

Developed with Maor Katz, CBT Pro offers therapists a new way to sharpen their clinical skills through interactive role-playing exercises and immediate, personalized AI feedback. With 24 skills currently available, therapists can practice everything from empathy and disarming to addressing resistance and applying powerful TEAM-CBT methods.

But does it actually work?

To find out, Kevin and David put the technology to the test. Kevin demonstrates a thoughtful, empathic response to a patient struggling with panic attacks, while David deliberately plays the role of a spectacularly bad therapist. The AI doesn't hold back, offering remarkably specific feedback on both performances.

The results are illuminating, entertaining, and occasionally humbling!

Along the way, David reflects on the limitations of traditional psychotherapy training and shares why he believes this technology could represent a major breakthrough in how therapists learn their craft.

Key Takeaways

1. Knowing a therapy technique isn't the same as mastering it.
   Many therapeutic skills seem simple in theory but are surprisingly difficult in practice. Like learning tennis or basketball, developing expertise requires repetition, coaching, and feedback—not just reading books or attending lectures.
2. AI makes deliberate practice more accessible.
   CBT Pro allows therapists to practice specific TEAM-CBT skills independently, responding to simulated patient statements and receiving immediate feedback. Therapists can repeat exercises as often as needed, without requiring a live practice partner.
3. Effective empathy involves specific, learnable skills.
   During the demonstration, the hosts practice three essential techniques:

• Disarming: Finding the truth in what another person is saying, even when it seems unreasonable or unfair.
• Thought Empathy: Accurately reflecting the person's thoughts and concerns.
• Feeling Empathy: Identifying and acknowledging the emotions the person may be experiencing.

1. Even experienced therapists have room to improve.
   Kevin's empathic response earns praise, but the AI also suggests that greater concision could make it more effective. David's intentionally disastrous response receives a detailed critique, demonstrating how the technology identifies mistakes and offers concrete suggestions for improvement.
2. Feedback is most valuable when it's specific and actionable.
   Rather than offering vague encouragement, the AI evaluates responses against clearly defined skill criteria, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and suggests exactly what to try differently next time.
3. The pursuit of perfection can get in the way of learning.
   Kevin shares his experience trying unsuccessfully to earn a flawless evaluation from the AI. The exercise becomes a reminder that growth requires humility, curiosity, and a willingness to keep improving.
4. Psychotherapy training may be entering a new era.
   David reflects on his early psychiatric training, when supervision often lacked concrete instruction about what to say to patients. He envisions a future in which therapists can systematically practice and refine hundreds of techniques, building greater confidence and competence one skill at a time.

About CBT Pro

CBT Pro is a new therapist training platform from the Feeling Good Institute that currently includes:

• 24 AI-guided deliberate practice skills, with more planned.
• Interactive patient scenarios with increasingly challenging exercises.
• Immediate, personalized feedback and opportunities to try again.
• A home-study library offering more than 60 continuing education credits.
• Recorded trainings covering topics such as perfectionism, procrastination, exposure therapy, and other TEAM-CBT applications.

The platform builds on the work of Maor Katz and Mike Christensen, authors of The Deliberate Practice of TEAM-CBT, bringing their practice exercises into an interactive digital format.

At the time of recording, CBT Pro is available for $49 per month.

To learn more: Visit https://feelinggoodinstitute.com/for-clinicians/cbt-pro-on-demand.

David, Jill, and Kevin would love to hear your thoughts. If you try CBT Pro, let them know about your experience—and whether you'd like to hear more live demonstrations of these exciting new training tools in future episodes.

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Contact Information

Dr. Jill Levitt is the Director of Clinical Training at the Feeling Good Institute in Mt. View, California. If you would like to contact her for treatment, training, or supervision, you can reach her at jilllevitt@feelinggoodinstitute.com. For information on therapy and training visit www.feelinggoodinstitute.com.

Kevin Cornelius, LMFT is a Level 5 Certified Master TEAM-CBT Therapist and Trainer and the Clinical Director of Feeling Good Institute--Silicon Valley. He specializes in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship problems and insomnia. You can reach Kevin at kevin@feelinggoodinstitute.com and visit his website at www.tools4change.me.

You can reach Dr. Burns at david@feelinggood.com.

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