Daniel T. Kessler. 2023. A Basis for Narrative Reframing Agents. In the Proceedings of the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Inclusive Design of CUIs Across Modalities and Mobilities, April 23, 2023, Hamburg, Germany. ACM ISBN 978-1-4503-6819-3/20/04. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3334480.XXXXXXX

Abstract

 While now used in the screening and management of a wide range of mental health conditions, conversational user interfaces (CUIs) have yet to become commonplace in trauma recovery contexts. However, they may be ideally suited to facilitate narrative reframing tasks: trauma-focused therapeutic interventions in which individuals recall, reflect upon, and reconstruct traumatic events in order to reduce their recurring adverse effects (e.g., intrusive thoughts). To improve the utility of CUIs for individuals recovering from traumatic lived experiences, this paper introduces the novel concept of Narrative Reframing Agents, CUIs that are specialized to facilitate narrative reframing tasks.