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Virtual Interactive Patient
VIP-DBT™

VIP-DBT™ is an AI-powered Virtual Interactive Patient platform built specifically for clinicians training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.

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14 October at 12:30pm

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VIP-DBT™ gives you the opportunity to practise essential DBT clinical skills in a realistic, interactive and safe environment complete with personalised feedback to help you grow with every session.

Whether you’re an individual therapist looking to strengthen your DBT practice or an organisation seeking a training solution, VIP-DBT™ offers a way to support skill development and supervision across your team or student cohort.

How it Works

Choose a treatment category

Select a persona

Read the case notes

Talk to the patient

Receive your evaluation

Engage in a compelling skills-based practice with live, real‑time interactions. Our virtual patients aren’t reading from a script, they actively listen and respond spontaneously, staying fully in character so your DBT training feels authentic and engaging.

Choose from a wide range of focused, bite‑size tasks, each targeting specific DBT skills and organised into clear categories. Every task includes a defined time allocation, so you can fit meaningful practice into even the busiest schedule.

When you start a task, you’ll select a virtual patient and instantly access clear written instructions plus background information about them. This gives you the context you need to prepare thoughtfully, then step straight into a realistic, immersive DBT interaction.

At the end of each task, you’ll receive written feedback and a transcript of your interaction. From this, you’ll be able to determine whether you’re on track or need more practice with that task. You can also practice a full session.

Benefits

Safe, low stakes practice environment

  • Embarrassment‑free environment to practice and build confidence
  • Rehearse skills without fear of judgment or harming a real client

Real time, spontaneous interactions

  • Avatars don’t read from a script, they respond in a spontaneous way in character
  • Realistic feel, rather than pre‑programmed training modules

Flexible learning structure

  • Practice tasks in any order
  • Target specific DBT strategies rather than full sessions every time
  • Stop when you’re finished and move straight to feedback

Detailed written feedback

  • Receive written feedback along with a transcript of your interaction after each task
  • A clear indicator of progress – a check mark shows that you are on track, or an X to recommend that you try it again
  • Helps you understand what you’re doing well and where to improve.

Encourages reflective practice

  • Take time to rehearse, reflect on your work, and strengthen your practice
  • Supports ongoing professional development
  • Practise on life experiences you haven’t previously come across

Need More Information?

Get in touch to discuss VIP-DBT™ for yourself, your team or your organisation.

Contact Us

FAQs

The minimum number of hours you can purchase is 1 hour. If you’re looking to purchase for your team, get in touch and we can discuss your specific needs.

While the feedback you receive is informed by the DBT Adherence Coding Scale (ACI), your performance is not being formally evaluated for adherence or competence. Official DBT adherence ratings are based on full therapy sessions and require review by trained DBT professionals.

The feedback provided within VIP-DBT™ is generated by artificial intelligence and should be viewed as a learning aid rather than a formal evaluation. If you have questions about your feedback or would like additional guidance, we encourage you to discuss your experience with a DBT consultant, supervisor, or trainer.

Immediately after you complete a session, you will receive an email with detailed feedback. In addition to the narrative feedback, you will receive either a check mark or an X. A check mark indicates you are on track, and an X recommends that you try again.

Although the virtual patients are designed to feel realistic, they’re still simulations. The Virtual Interactive Patient can hear and respond to what you say but cannot see you. As a result, your facial expressions, gestures, body language, and other non‑verbal behaviours are not considered during their interaction or included in your feedback.

However, you will be able to see your own body language in the live video picture-in-picture, so please keep this in mind, since these non-verbal cues are an important part of delivering DBT therapy effectively. Video sessions are not recorded.

Only you will see the feedback unless you have agreed otherwise with a supervisor, and you’ll be notified if you have.

If your employer funds your use of the system, your employer may access transcripts and feedback. In addition, system administrators have full access to all information, which is managed according to the regulations of the jurisdiction where you are using the system.

You are welcome to repeat any task as often as you would like, assuming you have sufficient minutes remaining in your account minutes bank. Remember that skill development takes practice.

The Virtual Interactive Patient does not retain information from previous interactions. Every time you begin a task, the Virtual Interactive Patient starts fresh. While their DBT knowledge is related to the skills training and individual therapy they’ve received, as indicated in the instructions before you begin each task, they have no memory of earlier sessions with you specifically.

It’s important to understand that VIP-DBT™ is a learning and practice tool. It is not a formal assessment of DBT adherence or therapist competence. The feedback you receive will include narrative comments about whether you are on track for providing the task in a manner consistent with the principles, strategies, and procedures of DBT.