--- title: What SODP's Learning Collaborative Revealed, and Why the Field Needs to Keep Going description: Explore key insights from SODP's learning collaborative on AI use in mental health, emphasizing the need for clinicians to adapt to evolving patient needs. image: https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/SODP%20-%20Kathryn%20Ledley%20and%20Mason%20Granof.png --- [![JMIR Publications logo](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_original.png?width=550&height=109&name=JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_original.png "JMIR Publications logo")](http://www.jmirpublications.com) Open main menu Close main menu [Early Career Researcher](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/early-career-researcher) [Artificial Intelligence](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/artificial-intelligence) [Digital Psychiatry](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/digital-psychiatry) # What SODP's Learning Collaborative Revealed, and Why the Field Needs to Keep Going ![Kathryn Taylor Ledley, BA & Mason Granof, BA](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/SODP%20Profile%20Photos.png?width=45&name=SODP%20Profile%20Photos.png) [Kathryn Taylor Ledley, BA & Mason Granof, BA](https://blog.jmir.org/author/kathryn-ledley-and-mason-granof) Published Date: 4 August 2026 11:39 a.m. [Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://blog.jmir.org/what-sodps-learning-collaborative-revealed-and-why-the-field-needs-to-keep-going) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.jmir.org/what-sodps-learning-collaborative-revealed-and-why-the-field-needs-to-keep-going) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.jmir.org/what-sodps-learning-collaborative-revealed-and-why-the-field-needs-to-keep-going) ![What SODP's Learning Collaborative Revealed, and Why the Field Needs to Keep Going](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/SODP%20-%20Kathryn%20Ledley%20and%20Mason%20Granof.png) This past June, the [Society of Digital Psychiatry (SODP)](https://www.sodpsych.com/) and the [Division of Digital Psychiatry](https://digitalpsych.org/) ran a four-week learning collaborative on recognizing, documenting, and responding to patient AI use.   | --- **Key Takeaways** | | --- | | Proactive Disclosure Inquiries: Patients may hide AI use due to fear of stigma, making it essential for clinicians to ask directly and incorporate AI-use questions into intake and sessions. Identifying Care Gaps: A patient's reliance on a chatbot for emotional support often signals an unmet need in their current care that clinicians can address. Diverse Risk Factors: Beyond the risk of anthropomorphizing AI, clinicians must consider other potential harms, including OCD reassurance checking, manic thought elaboration, and unpredictable product-level issues like data privacy changes. | --- Listen to this blog post 3:29 --- As co-facilitators and aspiring mental health clinicians, we wanted to hear directly from practicing clinicians about what they are witnessing. Generative AI is now clinically meaningful for many patients: about a third of clinicians report that patients use AI for mental health support \[[1](https://blog.jmir.org/the-society-of-digital-psychiatry-ai-psychosis-survey-results)\], yet no protocol exists to recognize or respond to related harm. Research and clinical practice need to move together, but patients aren't waiting for the research. Clinicians need to be prepared to encounter naturalistic AI use in their patients right now, not once the evidence base catches up. That's what inspired and shaped the model of this collaborative; a virtual training that grounds clinicians in how AI works, paired with a case-based learning curriculum that activates clinical reasoning through real discussion. Here's what came out of it. *Note: Cases discussed each week were hypothetical composites, not real patients.* ### What We Learned #### Disclosures won't happen on their own Patients may stay quiet about their AI use out of fear of stigma. Clinicians need to ask directly, in an open and non-judgmental way, and consider building AI-use questions within their sessions and/or at intake. #### Turning to AI for emotional support is a sign When a patient leans on a chatbot for support, that's evidence of a gap in their care that a clinician may be able to address. #### Anthropomorphism is just one of many risk factors Treating AI like a person, especially for younger, developmentally vulnerable users, repeatedly emerged as a potential risk factor for maladaptive AI use. However, plenty of clinical harm could happen even when patients are using AI "just as a tool," from OCD reassurance checking to manic thought elaboration. #### AI as a product carries harms clinicians don't always think about Because these tools are products owned by external companies, patients are exposed to risks beyond the clinical relationship, from data practices to sudden changes in how the product behaves. #### Bring the chatbot to the session Some clinicians have considered bringing the chatbot directly into the session. If a patient is open to it, this could be an effective way to explore the patient’s relationship with AI. #### No consensus yet, and that’s the point Every case discussion brought up conflicting therapeutic approaches amongst experienced clinicians. This begs the question: how can clinicians and the digital mental health field as a whole move forward? As co-facilitators, we were inspired and created several cases due to the conversations amongst clinicians during week one. This is why learning collaboratives are so crucial. Conversation is a key aspect of education, which is why education is one of the three SODP pillars to move digital mental health from research to routine care \[[2](https://mental.jmir.org/2025/1/e84501)\]. ### Why Collaborate With SODP No single clinician, training program, or institution is going to resolve these questions alone. SODP wants to take this conversation further, with hospitals, mental health centers, clinical groups, and training programs. Interested in partnering to host a learning collaborative? Reach out to SODP co-leader Kathryn Taylor Ledley at [kledley@bidmc.harvard.edu](mailto:kledley@bidmc.harvard.edu). References 1. Torous J. The Society of Digital Psychiatry AI Use and Mental Health Survey Results \[Internet\]. Toronto: JMIR Publications; 2026 Apr 23 \[cited 2026 Jul 30\]. Available from: [https://blog.jmir.org/the-society-of-digital-psychiatry-ai-psychosis-survey-results](https://blog.jmir.org/the-society-of-digital-psychiatry-ai-psychosis-survey-results) 2. Torous J, Ledley KT, Gorban C, Strudwick G, Schwarz J, Choudhary S, Emerson M, Patriquin M, Dempsey A, Bantjes J, Ospina-Pinillos L. [Accelerating Digital Mental Health: The Society of Digital Psychiatry’s Three-Pronged Road Map for Education, Digital Navigators, and AI.](https://mental.jmir.org/2025/1/e84501) JMIR mental health. 2025 Nov 27;12(1):e84501. --- ##### Click on any of the following images to download SODP Learning Collaborative materials | SODP Clinical Case #1 Presentation | SODP Clinical Case #1 Transcript | SODP Clinical Case #2 Presentation | | --- | --- | --- | |   [![SODP Clinical Case #1 Summary image](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%231%20Summary%20image.png?width=330&height=430&name=SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%231%20Summary%20image.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%231%20Summary.pdf)   |   [![Clinical Case # 1 Transcript image](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/Clinical%20Case%20%23%201%20Transcript%20image.png?width=386&height=483&name=Clinical%20Case%20%23%201%20Transcript%20image.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%231%20Transcript.pdf)   | [![Image of the SODP Clinical Case # 2 Presentation file](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%23%202%20Presentation%20image.png?width=636&height=824&name=SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%23%202%20Presentation%20image.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%232%20Presentation.pdf)   | | SODP Clinical Case #2 Transcript  | SODP Clinical Case #3 Presentation | SODP Clinical Case #3 Transcript | | [![Screen shots of a mobile phone chat between 2 people](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%23%202%20Transcript%20image.png?width=636&height=884&name=SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%23%202%20Transcript%20image.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%232%20Transcript.pdf)   | [![Image of the SODP Clinical Case # 3 Presentation](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%23%203%20Presentation%20image.png?width=634&height=822&name=SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%23%203%20Presentation%20image.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%233.pdf)   | [![Image of a mobile phone chat between 2 people](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%23%203%20Transcript%20image.png?width=634&height=888&name=SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%23%203%20Transcript%20image.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Clinical%20Case%20%23%203%20Transcript.pdf)   | | SODP Learning Collaborative Syllabus | SODP Learning Collaborative Slides | | | [![SODP Learning Collaborative Syllabus file image](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Learning%20Collaborative%20Syllabus%20image.png?width=814&height=1052&name=SODP%20Learning%20Collaborative%20Syllabus%20image.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Learning%20Collaborative%20Syllabus.docx)   | [![Title slide for the SODP Learning Collaborative slides](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Learning%20Collaborative%20Slides%20image.png?width=1572&height=884&name=SODP%20Learning%20Collaborative%20Slides%20image.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/01%20JMIR%20Mental%20Health/SODP%20Collaborative/SODP%20Learning%20Collaborative%20Slides.pptx)   | |   [![Join the Society of Digital Psychiatry](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/19668141/0ec04dd6-af76-48f3-81be-a33518cc8f2c.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/19668141/0ec04dd6-af76-48f3-81be-a33518cc8f2c)   Subscribe Now ![Kathryn Taylor Ledley, BA & Mason Granof, BA](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/SODP%20Profile%20Photos.png?width=150&name=SODP%20Profile%20Photos.png) #### Kathryn Taylor Ledley, BA & Mason Granof, BA Kathryn Taylor Ledley holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Providence College. She is now a clinical research assistant in the digital psychiatry division, in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School affiliated teaching hospital. Kathryn also serves as a co-leader of the Society of Digital Psychiatry. Mason Granof holds a bachelor's degree in History from the University of Chicago. He is now a clinical research coordinator in the digital psychiatry division, in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School affiliated teaching hospital. ### Leave a Comment ## Related Articles [![Trends in Mental Health: Do We Need the Taco Bell Test for AI?](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/Taco%20Bell%20test%20blog%20title.png)](https://blog.jmir.org/do-we-need-the-taco-bell-test-for-ai) [Research News](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/research-news) [Artificial Intelligence](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/artificial-intelligence) [Digital Psychiatry](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/digital-psychiatry) ### [Trends in Mental Health: Do We Need the Taco Bell Test for AI?](https://blog.jmir.org/do-we-need-the-taco-bell-test-for-ai) We're kicking off this post with a truly unique perspective, one that originally appeared in the latest newsletter from the Society of Digital Psychiatry (SODP). 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