Lauren Jerome

Testing a solution-focused chatbot delivered by text message; does it work?

Thursday 17th July, 11.45, room 1.14

Lauren Jerome is a doctoral researcher in the Youth Resilience Unit at Queen Mary University of London. Lauren's doctoral research project, which she began in January 2023, explores the development of a digital tool, delivered by text message to a mobile phone, based on solution-focused therapy for young people who self-harm. In this work Lauren has explored how solution-focused approaches are used with individuals who have suicidal thoughts and/or self-harm, what young people with experience of self-harm and solution-focused clinicians think of a digital tool based on solution-focused therapy, and how solution-focused therapy is conducted with young people who self-harm in practice. Lauren is now testing the tool she has developed with clinicians and young people with lived experience of self-harm. Lauren has previously published a conceptual review of solution-focused approaches in adult mental health whilst working on the TACK study, a study exploring DIALOG+, an intervention based on solution-focused principles, used with individuals with chronic depression.

Lauren would like to use this workshop in her doctoral research meaning attendees will need to provide their consent to participate. If you would like to attend this workshop please either register your interest ahead of the workshop here or email lauren.jerome@qmul.ac.uk for more information.

Many people find accessing mental health services difficult. Digital interventions are one way we might improve people’s access to support. This is the first time an autonomous chatbot, delivered to a mobile phone, has been developed using solution-focused therapy as its approach. This workshop will be a mix of presentation, activity, and discussion.

I will begin the session by talking through a few slides to provide an overview of the digital tool I have developed in my PhD, the development process, and how the tool works.

Second, attendees will have the opportunity to try using the digital tool in the workshop to work through one of the solution-focused message sequences delivered by the tool. I will have a limited number of mobile phones available for individuals who need one, or they can use their own mobile phone.

Finally, after attendees have had a go at using the tool, I will collect any mobile phones borrowed and we will have a discussion around what works well, what doesn’t work in this format, how this tool might be useful in practice, and how it can be developed further. The insights provided by attendees may contribute to improving the digital tool itself.

Participants will learn about the process of developing a digital tool based in a therapeutic approach, and in particular a novel digital tool based on solution-focused therapy that is delivered by text message. Participants will have the opportunity to try out a digital tool based on solution-focused therapy and experience how it works and feels to engage with a chatbot delivering a solution-focused approach. The discussion will provide an exploration of where these kinds of digital tools might be useful and appropriate in practice, particularly thinking about the delivery of solution-focused therapy through a digital medium. This may stimulate interesting discussions around where these kinds of tools might be useful for participants’ own practices. We hope participants will leave with an understanding of, and new ideas for, some novel directions for delivering solution-focused therapy and have the opportunity to contribute to discussions around the implementation of digital tools in practice.

Back to main UKASFP2025 Conference main page