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This paper introduces StratCBT, a new dataset designed to align large language models with specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy strategies for psychological counseling. By generating high-quality sessions that incorporate dynamic decision-making based on real-time client mental states, the research addresses a critical gap in current LLM applications for therapy. The work demonstrates how specialized datasets can significantly improve the flexibility and efficacy of AI-driven therapeutic interventions.
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Steering the Compass: Aligning Dynamic Psychological Counseling Conversations with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Strategies

arXiv2 min read

arXiv:2609.20565v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Recent advancements in large language models have revolutionized the field of psychological counseling, especially in the context of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). While the success of CBT relies heavily on dynamic decision-making informed by the client's real-time mental state, this aspect has often been overlooked in current research, limiting both flexibility and therapeutic outcomes. In this paper, we introduce StratCBT, a dataset specifically designed for psychological counseling conversations with CBT Strategies, consisting of 9,688 sessions and around 256K utterances, with each counselor's response aligned with one of eight distinct strategies. The creation of StratCBT involves modeling clients based on their negative thoughts and generating high-quality counseling conversations through self-chat, incorporating realistic sessions as guidance, thereby significantly surpassing existing datasets in both general counseling and CBT-specific skills. We conduct extensive experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of strategy-aligned generation and evaluate its efficacy in delivering professional and effective counseling with LLM-simulated clients to reflect real-world scenarios. The dataset can be obtained from https://github.com/zimuwangnlp/StratCBT.

Abstract:Recent advancements in large language models have revolutionized the field of psychological counseling, especially in the context of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). While the success of CBT relies heavily on dynamic decision-making informed by the client's real-time mental state, this aspect has often been overlooked in current research, limiting both flexibility and therapeutic outcomes. In this paper, we introduce StratCBT, a dataset specifically designed for psychological counseling conversations with CBT Strategies, consisting of 9,688 sessions and around 256K utterances, with each counselor's response aligned with one of eight distinct strategies. The creation of StratCBT involves modeling clients based on their negative thoughts and generating high-quality counseling conversations through self-chat, incorporating realistic sessions as guidance, thereby significantly surpassing existing datasets in both general counseling and CBT-specific skills. We conduct extensive experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of strategy-aligned generation and evaluate its efficacy in delivering professional and effective counseling with LLM-simulated clients to reflect real-world scenarios. The dataset can be obtained from this https URL.

Computation and Language (cs.CL)

arXiv:2609.20565 [cs.CL]

(or arXiv:2609.20565v1 [cs.CL] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.20565 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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Full text under the publisher's open licence · 258 words

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