Future Counselors Train with AI Avatars at Touro’s School of Health Sciences

But the client isn’t a person. It’s an AI-powered avatar.

That’s the new training approach Assistant Professor Halima Dargan is introducing in Touro University’s School of Health Sciences (SHS) Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, where students are using simulated client interactions prior to going into the field.

“This gives students the chance to build skills and confidence before they ever meet their first client,” Dr. Dargan said.

Preparing for real-world conversations

Dr. Dargan, after receiving a 2026 Touro University Faculty Innovation Grant focused on integrating AI into teaching and learning, is integrating SimCare, an AI-powered clinical training platform, into her “Counseling the Whole Person” course.

“What I decided to do was incorporate the use of an AI simulation platform so that students can have practice engaging with diverse populations prior to their actual field placement,” said Dr. Dargan, who joined Touro last June.

The platform allows students to interact with simulated clients from diverse cultural, racial, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds. These avatars respond in real time, creating conversations that mirror real counseling sessions.

Once the interaction ends, students receive a transcript, performance feedback, and an opportunity to review the session, helping them refine their skills.

“They get a real-time experience, and it brings realism into the interaction,” Dr. Dargan said. “Then once the conversation is done, it generates a transcript and offers feedback.”

Building cultural sensitivities

Dr. Dargan said the technology is particularly helpful in strengthening cultural responsiveness, an essential skill for counselors working in diverse communities.

For example, a simulated client might be a first-generation college student experiencing anxiety. Without exploring cultural context, a counselor might focus only on stress management. But understanding the client’s background, including family expectations, language barriers, and unfamiliarity with college systems, can lead to more effective support.

“Cultural competency gives you a framework and awareness of what types of questions to ask,” Dr. Dargan said. “Making assumptions can allow you to do (unintentional) harm in a counseling session.”

The simulations also allow students to practice difficult conversations in a private setting, building confidence before working with real clients.

A new dimension of training

Role-playing exercises have long been part of counselor education, but Dr. Dargan believes AI adds flexibility and depth to the learning process.

Students can repeat scenarios, explore a wide range of client experiences, and receive immediate, tailored feedback. That kind of repetition and personalization can be difficult to replicate in traditional classroom settings.

“Now students can have a sense of what they do well and what they need to improve earlier in their learning process,” she said.

Support for innovation

Dr. Dargan credits Touro’s support for helping bring the initiative to life. As a new faculty member, she said she has found strong encouragement for innovative ideas.

“The level of support that I’ve gotten from Touro in six-to-eight months is leaps and bounds in comparison to what I got at my previous stops,” she said. “I come up with ideas, and they say, ‘Let’s try it out and see what happens.’”

As the platform launches this semester, Dr. Dargan hopes the project will enhance student training and contribute to the evolving role of AI in education.

“I can definitely see this type of use of AI revolutionizing the training process,” she said.