Training child helpline counsellors with a BDI-based conversational agent
M. Al Owayyed (TU Delft - Interactive Intelligence)
S.A. Grundmann (Student TU Delft)
Merijn Bruijnes (Universiteit Utrecht)
Willem Paul Brinkman (TU Delft - Interactive Intelligence)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
Counsellors at the child helpline offer a confidential environment for children to be heard and empowered. However, training counsellors on handling children’s conversations in text-based chat can be costly and time-consuming. This paper introduces Lilobot, a conversational agent designed for training counsellors of child helplines. The agent’s dialogue is built on the Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) model, which, in this case, simulates a child victim of school bullying in a text based interaction. Trainees engage with Lilobot in a role-play format, taking on the counsellor’s role. This interactive system helps trainees learn the Five Phase Model, a conversation protocol child’s helplines use. The system also has a trainer interface, where a trainer can oversee and control Lilobot’s interactions, and see a suggested optimal conversational path. The system was built with three main components - a natural language processing model (using Rasa) and the BDI reasoning model and optimal path generation (using Java Spring).