FEBRUARY 2, 9, 16, 23: AI & Mental Health: Advanced Certification Course with Dr. Alex Vaz, PhD

AI is no longer just a topic to understand, it’s a skill to master.

Today, many clients are already using AI for emotional support, and many clinicians and trainees are experimenting with AI for their own professional development, but most are doing so in unguided, unstructured ways. This advanced course responds directly to that reality.

Designed for clinicians, supervisors, and educators, it offers hands-on skill building, live guided practice, and ethical dialogue around the real-world integration of AI in therapy and training. You’ll learn how to talk with clients about their AI use, guide safe, therapy-aligned between-session work using AI as a “homework partner,” and use AI deliberately and effectively for your own clinical skill development and reflection.

The course draws directly from two forthcoming APA books by Dr. Alexandre Vaz and Dr. Tony Rousmaniere —
The AI Homework Partner for Clinicians and The AI Practice Partner for Therapists — giving participants early access to structured frameworks and exercises developed for those texts.

Course & Certification Details

Live Zoom Sessions: 4 weeks, 1 hour/week
Dates: Mondays — Starts February 2nd, 2026 (Feb 2, 9, 16, 23)
Time: 9:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM EST / 18:00 CET
Cost: $300
Spots: Limited to ensure live feedback and interaction
CEUs: LMFTs, LCSWs, and LPCCs in California will earn 36 Continuing Education Credits upon completion.
(Sentio offers CE credits only for therapists licensed in California.)

These sessions are not recorded to ensure privacy, depth, and safety in group skill practice.

Includes

• Certification in AI & Mental Health: Advanced Level

• Early-access content from two forthcoming APA books

• Sentio-exclusive handouts, clinical scripts and prompt templates

• Live demos, practice, and feedback

What You’ll Learn — Week by Week

Week 1: Talking with Clients About AI

• How to ask, normalize, and guide safe disclosure of AI use

• Discussing risks, boundaries, and therapy alignment

• Practice scripts for reviewing AI interactions in session

• Introducing AI homework ethically and collaboratively

Week 2: Implementing AI as a Homework Partner

• How to integrate AI into between-session tasks safely

• Translating evidence-based techniques (CBT, EFT, psychodynamic) into AI-compatible formats

• Practice designing and debriefing AI-supported assignments

• Ethical pitfalls: avoiding client overreliance or data exposure

Week 3: Using AI for Deliberate Practice & Skill Building

• How to structure deliberate practice sessions with AI

• Designing prompts for empathy, alliance repair, and emotion work

• Practicing micro-skills with live feedback and self-assessment

• Advanced debriefing: using AI output to identify skill gaps and next steps

Week 4: Integrating AI into Supervision, Training, and Clinical Systems

• Frameworks for safe AI integration in supervision and education

• How faculty and supervisors can model ethical AI use

• Practicing clinical reflection using AI-generated roleplays

• Future-proofing your clinical practice with AI competence

Who This Is For

• Clinicians and supervisors who completed Sentio’s Introductory Certification

• Educators and program directors preparing to embed AI competencies in training

• Therapists ready to safely integrate AI into clinical dialogue and between-session work

About the Trainer

Alexandre Vaz, Ph.D. is Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer of Sentio University, and co-editor/author (with Tony Rousmaniere, Psy.D.) of 20 books on psychotherapy training and The Essentials of Deliberate Practice series (American Psychological Association Books). Dr. Vaz also directs Sentio’s AI Research Initiatives, pioneering one of the world’s first graduate-level AI and mental health curricula.