A Computational Framework for Behavioral Assessment of LLM Therapists

Understand

The emergence of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT has increased interest in their use as therapists to address mental health challenges and the widespread lack of access to care.

• However, experts have emphasized the critical need for systematic evaluation of LLM-based mental health interventions to accurately assess their capabilities and limitations.
• Here, we propose BOLT, a proof-of-concept computational framework to systematically assess the conversational behavior of LLM therapists.
• We quantitatively measure LLM behavior across 13 psychotherapeutic approaches with in-context learning methods.