Optimizing clinical training for the treatment of PTSD using virtual patients

Adequate treatment of PTSD is a growing concern for the military. However, there is a shortage of qualified personnel available to apply this treatment. Virtual patient systems offer a novel technology to enhance the training needs of such health providers. This pilot project builds on previous work done with virtual patients and describes a novel scenario wherein a virtual patient is immersed within an exposure therapy simulation while a clinician interacts and guides the virtual patient through the recovery process using exposure therapy for PTSD. While this work is ongoing, preliminary results will be presented.