Presented by: Dr. Magdalen Schluter

Sponsored by: Clinical Psychology Section
Continuing Education Credits: 3 CE Credits
Language: English
Duration: 3 Hours

Workshop Description:

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a directive, client-centred approach to therapy that helps individuals identify and resolve ambivalence about making lifestyle changes. A solid evidence base has developed to show that motivational interviewing is effective in improving outcomes with addictive behaviours. It is associated with greater engagement and less dropout when integrated with other treatments and also has good efficacy when used as a stand-alone intervention. Most recently, MI techniques have been assessed as a supplement to CBT of anxiety and depression with promising results. This skill workshop will provide a foundational overview of the spirit and basic MI techniques, and how they can be integrated into traditional CBT to enhance client readiness to engage in therapy and reduce resistance.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the MI approach and basic MI principles and techniques and will understand how they can integrate with cognitive-behavioural therapy interventions to enhance readiness to engage in therapy and reduce resistance.

Presented by: Rahul Patel, Dr. Peter Hausdorf

Sponsored by: Industrial/Organizational Psychology Section
Continuing Education Credits: 3 CE Credits
Language: English
Duration: 3 Hours (AM)

Workshop Description:

This workshop will prepare attendees to conduct evidence-based employment interviews that predict job success, are both legally defensible and fair. Through a brief presentation, role-playing exercises, and hands-on practice, attendees will learn how to design effective rating scales, rate responses to interview questions, ask effective follow-up questions, and provide evidence-based hiring recommendations. This workshop is designed for academics and practitioners interested in pragmatic, research-supported employment interviewing techniques that can be applied in academic and organizational settings.  

Presented by: Stéphane Bouchard

Sponsored by: Clinical Psychology Section
Continuing Education Credits: 3 CE Credits
Language: English
Duration: 3 Hours

Workshop Description:

Applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in psychology stem from two broad categories of AI: (a) discriminative AI, which can be used to improve our understanding of psychological processes, as well as the detection, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders; and (b) generative AI, which enables rich interactions with computer programs, virtual people, and virtual psychologists. Discriminative AI has many practical applications and has been in use for much longer than many people realise. Generative AI, on the other hand, is often confused with ChatGPT, and its hype cycle is currently at its peak.

The presentation will explore the use of AI from both its positive and negative sides. Examples of exciting and useful applications in mental health will be presented to illustrate some of its strengths. However, the use of AI also raises practical and ethical concerns that must be addressed. Those using discriminative AI must consider, among others, the implications for privacy, explainability, potential interactions with clinical characteristics or risk factors, and issues relating to the maintenance of digital trust. As for generative AI, it is important to first understand how Large Language Models (LLM) work and why they have been called ‘stochastic parrots’. Additional ethical questions will then be discussed, including those relating to inaccuracies and lack of control of generative AI tools, social biases, autonomous virtual psychotherapists, content modulation according to clinical disorders, and the risk for addiction. We will illustrate the usefulness of various LLMs for applications in psychology, as well as the practical implications of social presence, anthropomorphism, and broader issues such as agentic misalignment and technopolitics (the dynamic interplay between politics and the business models of tech companies).

Presented by: Stéphane Bouchard

Sponsored by: Clinical Psychology Section
Continuing Education Credits: 3 CE Credits
Language: French
Duration: 3 Hours

Workshop Description:

Les applications de l’intelligence artificielle (IA) en psychologie proviennent de deux grandes catégories d’IA : (a) l’IA discriminative, qui peut être utilisée pour améliorer notre compréhension des processus psychologiques, ainsi que la détection, la prévention et le traitement des troubles mentaux; et (b) l’IA générative, qui permet des interactions riches avec des programmes informatiques, des personnes virtuelles et des psychologues virtuels. L’IA discriminative a de nombreuses applications pratiques et est utilisée depuis bien plus longtemps que beaucoup ne le pensent. L’IA générative, en revanche, est souvent confondue avec ChatGPT et son cycle d’engouement est actuellement à son apogée.

La présentation explorera l’utilisation de l’IA à la fois sous ses aspects positifs et négatifs. Des exemples d’applications passionnantes et utiles dans le domaine de la santé mentale seront présentés pour illustrer certains de ses points forts. Cependant, l’utilisation de l’IA soulève également des questions pratiques et éthiques qui doivent être abordées. Ceux qui utilisent l’IA discriminative doivent tenir compte notamment des implications en matière de confidentialité, d’explicabilité, d’interactions potentielles avec les caractéristiques cliniques ou des facteurs de risque, et des questions liées au maintien de la confiance numérique. En ce qui concerne l’IA générative, il est important de comprendre d’abord comment fonctionnent les grands modèles de langage (LLM) et pourquoi ils ont été qualifiés de « perroquets stochastiques ». D’autres questions éthiques seront ensuite abordées, notamment celles liées aux inexactitudes et au manque de contrôle des outils d’IA générative, aux préjugés sociaux, aux psychothérapeutes virtuels autonomes, à la modulation du contenu en fonction des troubles cliniques et au risque de dépendance. Nous illustrerons l’utilité de divers LLM pour les applications en psychologie, ainsi que les implications pratiques de la présence sociale, de l’anthropomorphisme et de questions plus larges telles que le désalignement agentique et la technopolitique (l’interaction dynamique entre la politique et les modèles économiques des entreprises technologiques).