Virtual agents have shown promising potential in mental health applications, but current research has predominantly focused on contexts outside of traditional therapy sessions. This paper examines the impact of a virtual supporter in remote psychotherapy sessions conducted via Zoom. We used a two-phase research approach. First we conducted a formative study to understand the roles and functions of human supporters in psychotherapy contexts. Based on these findings, we developed a virtual supporter operating in two modes: Daily Mode (for mood journaling outside therapy) and Therapy Mode (as an additional participant in Zoom therapy sessions). Finally we ran a user study with 14 participants who engaged with the virtual supporter for a week and then joined a remote psychotherapy session together. Our findings revealed that the virtual supporter had positive effects on creating psychological safety, reducing anxiety, and enhancing emotional articulation without disrupting the therapeutic process. We then discussed both the benefits and potential disadvantages of virtual supporters in therapeutic contexts, including concerns about over-reliance and the need for appropriate boundaries. This research contributes to understanding how AI-driven virtual agents could contribute to human-led remote psychotherapy.

翻译：虚拟代理在心理健康应用中展现出良好潜力，但当前研究主要聚焦于传统治疗场景之外的领域。本文探讨了虚拟支持者在通过Zoom平台进行的远程心理治疗中的影响。我们采用两阶段研究方法：首先通过形成性研究理解心理治疗情境中人类支持者的角色与功能，继而据此开发了具有双模式运作的虚拟支持者——日常模式（用于治疗外的情绪日志记录）与治疗模式（作为Zoom治疗环节的附加参与者）。最后，我们开展了一项包含14名参与者的用户研究，参与者与虚拟支持者互动一周后共同参与远程心理治疗。研究结果表明，虚拟支持者在建立心理安全感、降低焦虑、增强情感表达能力方面具有积极作用，且不会干扰治疗进程。我们进一步讨论了治疗情境中虚拟支持者的益处与潜在弊端，包括过度依赖风险及边界设定必要性。本研究为理解AI驱动型虚拟代理如何助力人类主导的远程心理治疗提供了新见解。