Scoping Review: Intervention Methods in Conversational Agent-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Research output: Contribution to book/Conference proceedings/Anthology/Report › Conference contribution › Contributed › peer-review

Contributors

Abstract

The high demand for mental health treatment combined with a shortage of mental health specialists leads to long waiting times for affected individuals. To counteract the lack of necessary resources, the focus has increasingly shifted to internet-based psychotherapy and to the use of conversational agents (CAs) in this context. This scoping review aims to identify and analyze intervention methods from cognitive behavioral therapy delivered by CAs. A literature search is conducted, including research published between 2015 and 2023, to identify existing research on CA-based cognitive behavioral therapy as well as gaps in the current research landscape. Following the updated PRISMA guidelines for reporting systematic reviews, 241 publications are identified and reduced to a result set of 41 based on a rigorous screening process. In those, 32 individual tools are found and analyzed regarding used interventions, targeted conditions, and modality. The results show that chatbots are mostly used in existing approaches. The most implemented interventions include psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, mindfulness exercises, and monitoring. Several shortcomings in the research field are identified that should be addressed in future studies, including the comparison of different kinds of CAs, clinical trials with active control groups to investigate the efficacy for different mental health conditions, and the isolated examination of chosen intervention methods delivered via CAs.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDigital Human Modeling and Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics and Risk Management
EditorsVincent G. Duffy
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media B.V.
Pages235-260
Number of pages26
ISBN (electronic)978-3-032-29842-3
ISBN (print)978-3-032-29841-6
Publication statusPublished - 2026
Peer-reviewedYes

Publication series

SeriesLecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume16720 LNCS
ISSN0302-9743

Conference

Title17th International Conference on Digital Human Modeling and Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics and Risk Management
Abbreviated titleDHM 2026
Conference number17
Descriptionheld as part of the 28th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI International 2026)
Duration26 - 31 July 2026
Website
LocationMontreal Convention Centre
CityMontreal
CountryCanada

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-4407-0003/work/222762201

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • chatbot, cognitive behavioral therapy, conversational agent, embodied conversational agent, natural language processing, voice assistant