PROVIDENCE – A set of new artificial intelligence-powered simulations being developed at Rhode Island College will soon provide students with the opportunity to practice clinical social work skills in Spanish.
The technology, an initiative of the college’s Atrévete Center of Excellence for Latinx/Hispanic Social Work Practice, features actors from Providence-based theater Teatro ECAS, who roleplay as clients, as well as two clinicians who roleplay as social workers.
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Once completed, RIC will make the technology available to students at other institutions.
“I am proud that our center will be developing a resource that Spanish-speaking students in many schools of social work can access,” said Jayashree Nimmagadda, a professor of social work at RIC and the project’s principal investigator. “This is an innovative, cutting-edge approach to teaching clinical skills to social work students, and RIC is at the forefront of this technology.”
The Atrévete Center launched in 2023 with funding from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The center was established with a goal of increasing diversity and bilingual skills among mental health practitioners – areas where Rhode Island falls short, according to a 2021 report by the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
