Lethal Means Counseling SkillNCT07873658
Pathways 2 Safety: AI-Simulated Clients for Experiential Learning in Behavioral Health Education
A study testing Lethal means counseling training and skills practice in people with Lethal Means Counseling Skill, run by University of Washington at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this study was to compare the effectiveness of practicing lethal means counseling skills with an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered client compared to practice with a live actor. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Lethal Means Counseling Skill
- What is being tested?
- Lethal means counseling training and skills practice
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 82 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 11 Apr 2026to 1 Jun 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- In a clinical degree program at the University of Washington
Who cannot join
- No university-based email address
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The goal of this study was to compare the effectiveness of practicing lethal means counseling skills with an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered client compared to practice with a live actor.
Read the detailed description
This project will bring Pathways 2 Safety (P2S) to UW social work (undergraduate and graduate) nursing (graduate) students. P2S is a 3-hour interdisciplinary training to teach clinicians to have firearm safety conversations with clients. After the training, students will be randomized to practice counseling skills using either AI-based clients or trained standardized clients (i.e., live actor) to compare the two practice modalities.
AI-based clients include a coaching agent that provides individualized feedback. Standardized client encounters will have parallel debriefing protocols. We will have three main evaluation outcomes: (1) effectiveness through pre/post surveys and observed standardized client assessments, (2) modality acceptability based on student engagement and feedback and (3) pragmatic comparison of modality time and cost.
Because participation is voluntary, this project provides a low-stakes opportunity to examine the educational value and acceptability of AI-supported learning relative to traditional methods, generating evidence to inform responsible, scalable use of AI across UW.
- Conditions
- Lethal Means Counseling Skill
- Being tested
- Lethal means counseling training and skills practice
- Keywords
- suicide, firearms, counseling skill, artificial intelligence
- Medical subject headings
- Suicide
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Lethal means counseling training and skills practiceOther
P2S is a 3-hour interdisciplinary training to teach clinicians to have firearm safety conversations with clients. After the training, students will be randomized to practice counseling skills using either AI-based clients or trained standardized clients (i.e., live actor) to compare the two practice modalities, compared with no practice.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Practice with AI | Experimental | Students in this arm practice lethal means counseling skills with an AI-powered client Receives: Other: Lethal means counseling training and skills practice |
| Practice with live actor | Active comparator | Students in this arm practice lethal means counseling skills with a live actor Receives: Other: Lethal means counseling training and skills practice |
| No practice | No intervention | Students in this arm do not practice lethal means counseling skills |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Lethal means counseling skills
The primary outcome is lethal means counseling skills as observed and rated by reviewers then calculated as a percent out of 100, where 100% is a perfect score.
Measured: 2-4 weeks after baseline lethal means counseling assessment
Secondary outcomes (4)
Knowledge about lethal means counseling
6-item multiple choice survey questions scored 0-6 correct, where 6 is a perfect score
Measured: 1 week after completing P2S training
Confidence to conduct lethal means counseling
Five Likert-style questions (scored 1-4) assessing confidence performing specific lethal means counseling skills, where a lower score indicates stronger agreement
Measured: 1 week after completing P2S training
Perceived value of AI-practice clients
Likert-style self-rated perceived value (scored 1-4) of AI-practice clients for acquiring clinical skills, where a lower score indicates stronger agreement
Measured: 1 week after completing P2S training
Comfort using AI to acquire clinical skills
Likert-style self-rated (scored 1-4) comfort using AI practice clients to acquire clinical skills, where a lower score indicates stronger agreement
Measured: 1 week after completing P2S training
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Oct 2026
- Study start11 Apr 2026
- Primary completion28 May 2026
- Study completion1 Jun 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Lethal Means Counseling SkillStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of WashingtonThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 82 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Washington
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Kelsey Conrick, University of Washington
- Investigators
- Kelsey Conrick, PhD, MPH, Principal investigator, University of Washington
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07873658
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00025245
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 30 Sep 2026
- Last updated
- 14 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Not possible to de-identify recordings used for data.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Pathways 2 Safety: AI-Simulated Clients for Experiential Learning in Behavioral Health Education
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07873658
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY00025245
- Conditions
- Lethal Means Counseling Skill
- Keywords
- suicide, firearms, counseling skill, artificial intelligence
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 82 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of WashingtonUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 11 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 28 May 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Jun 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 14 Oct 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this study was to compare the effectiveness of practicing lethal means counseling skills with an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered client compared to practice with a live actor.
Detailed description
This project will bring Pathways 2 Safety (P2S) to UW social work (undergraduate and graduate) nursing (graduate) students. P2S is a 3-hour interdisciplinary training to teach clinicians to have firearm safety conversations with clients. After the training, students will be randomized to practice counseling skills using either AI-based clients or trained standardized clients (i.e., live actor) to compare the two practice modalities.
AI-based clients include a coaching agent that provides individualized feedback. Standardized client encounters will have parallel debriefing protocols. We will have three main evaluation outcomes: (1) effectiveness through pre/post surveys and observed standardized client assessments, (2) modality acceptability based on student engagement and feedback and (3) pragmatic comparison of modality time and cost.
Because participation is voluntary, this project provides a low-stakes opportunity to examine the educational value and acceptability of AI-supported learning relative to traditional methods, generating evidence to inform responsible, scalable use of AI across UW.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Practice with AI | Experimental | Other: Lethal means counseling training and skills practiceStudents in this arm practice lethal means counseling skills with an AI-powered client |
| Practice with live actor | Active comparator | Other: Lethal means counseling training and skills practiceStudents in this arm practice lethal means counseling skills with a live actor |
| No practice | No intervention | –Students in this arm do not practice lethal means counseling skills |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- In a clinical degree program at the University of Washington
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- No university-based email address
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Lethal means counseling training and skills practiceP2S is a 3-hour interdisciplinary training to teach clinicians to have firearm safety conversations with clients. After the training, students will be randomized to practice counseling skills using either AI-based clients or trained standardized clients (i.e., live actor) to compare the two practice modalities, compared with no practice. | Other | Practice with AI, Practice with live actor |
Primary outcome
Lethal means counseling skills
Time frame: 2-4 weeks after baseline lethal means counseling assessment
The primary outcome is lethal means counseling skills as observed and rated by reviewers then calculated as a percent out of 100, where 100% is a perfect score.
4 secondary outcomes
Knowledge about lethal means counseling
Time frame: 1 week after completing P2S training
Confidence to conduct lethal means counseling
Time frame: 1 week after completing P2S training
Perceived value of AI-practice clients
Time frame: 1 week after completing P2S training
Comfort using AI to acquire clinical skills
Time frame: 1 week after completing P2S training
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Not possible to de-identify recordings used for data.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Kelsey Conrick, PhD, MPH principal investigator
University of Washington
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Lethal means counseling training and skills practice in people with Lethal Means Counseling Skill, run by University of Washington at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Lethal means counseling skills (time frame: 2-4 weeks after baseline lethal means counseling assessment). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Oct 2026.