Inclusivity and Innovation: A Pilot Study on Free AI Models for Clinical Supervision in Gestalt Therapy (GT)

Authors

  • Ottavio Ragozzino SiPGI–Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Gestaltica Integrata, Torre Annunziata, Italia
  • Enrica Tortora SiPGI–Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Gestaltica Integrata, Torre Annunziata, Italia
  • Valeria Cioffi SiPGI–Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Gestaltica Integrata, Torre Annunziata, Italia. Corresponding author: dr.valeria.cioffi@gmail.com
  • Chiara Scognamiglio SiPGI–Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Gestaltica Integrata, Torre Annunziata, Italia
  • Lucia Luciana Mosca SiPGI–Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Gestaltica Integrata, Torre Annunziata, Italia
  • Enrico Moretto SiPGI–Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Gestaltica Integrata, Torre Annunziata, Italia
  • Francesco Marino SiPGI–Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Gestaltica Integrata, Torre Annunziata, Italia
  • Flavia Morfini SiPGI–Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia Gestaltica Integrata, Torre Annunziata, Italia
  • Giovanni Salonia Gestalt Therapy Institute - H.C.C. - Human Communication Center – KAIROS, Ragusa, Italia
  • Claudia Montanari ASPIC Scuola di Psicoterapia, Roma, Italia
  • Oliviero Rossi IPGE Istituto di Psicoterapia della Gestalt Espressiva, Roma, Italia
  • Claudio Billi Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia della Gestalt CGV Centro Gestalt viva Claudio Naranjo, Livorno, Italia
  • Paolo Quattrini IGF Istituto Gestalt Firenze. Scuola di Specializzazione in Psicoterapia della Gestalt a orientamento fenomenologicoesistenziale, Firenze, Italia
  • Alexander Lommatzsch IGP Istituto Gestalt di Puglia, Arnesano, Italia
  • Antonio Ferrara IGAT Istituto di Psicoterapia della Gestalt e Analisi Transazionale, Napoli, Italia
  • Stefano Crispino IGA Istituto Gestalt Analitica, Roma, Italia
  • Elena Gigante SIPGI Scuola in Psicoterapia gestaltica integrata, Trapani, Italia
  • Mariano Pizzimenti SGT Scuola Gestalt Torino, Torino, Italia
  • Roberta Melis SinaPsi Istituto di Psicoterapia della Gestalt, Cagliari, Italia
  • Efisio Temporin IGR Istituto Gestalt Romagna, Ravenna, Italia
  • Nelson Mauro Maldonato Dipartimento di Neuroscienze e Scienze Riproduttive ed Odontostomacologiche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Italia
  • Raffaele Sperandeo Dipartimento di Neuroscienze e Scienze Riproduttive ed Odontostomacologiche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Italia

Keywords:

Supervisione clinica; Modelli linguistici di grandi dimensioni; Potenziamento cognitivo

Abstract

Clinical supervision is crucial for the practice of psychotherapy and for training in it: it is a cornerstone of professional support, stimulating clinical reflection and the continuous development of skills. Recent studies explore the use of ChatGPT as a tool to support supervision, highlighting the crucial role of prompts in optimizing AI effectiveness. This exploratory study has two main objectives: 1) To explore the potential of a structured prompt framework and preliminarily assess its applicability; 2) To compare the performance of a free LLM model with that of other accessible paid models, with a view to inclusivity. The results show the surprising competitiveness of the free model and a significant improvement in the supervision feedback obtained, compared to that of previous studies, attributable to the characteristics of the new prompt, which includes precise instructions on the fundamental characteristics of good supervision. Artificial Intelligence can reduce professional hierarchies by democratizing expertise and represents a form of cognitive augmentation, as it extends the therapist's reflective abilities and promotes new forms of conversational supervision. The future ethical challenge will be to effectively combine technological innovation with the fundamental values of the caring professions.

 

doi: 10.53240/2026TOPIC5N2.212

References

Abdulnour, R. E. E., Gin, B., & Boscardin, C. K. (2025). Educational strategies for clinical supervision of artificial intelligence use. New England Journal of Medicine, 393(8), 786-797.

Allen, S. (2022). Improving psychotherapy with AI: From the couch to the keyboard. IEEE Pulse, 13(5), 2-8.

Architravo, M. (2020). L'approccio integrato in psicoterapia: origini, configurazioni attuali e prospettive formative. Phenomena Journal - Rivista internazionale di psicopatologia, neuroscienze e psicoterapia, 2 (2), 39 – 48. https://doi.org/10.32069/pj.2020.2.110

Cini, A., Oliva, S., & Quattrini, G. P. (2019). Well - Being: a proposal research on Gestalt therapy efficacy. Phenomena Journal - International Journal of Psychopathology, Neuroscience and Psychotherapy, 1(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.32069/pj.2019.1.36

Cioffi, V. (2025). Editorial: Mental Health 4.0: the contribution of LLM models in mental health care processes. Phenomena Journal - International Journal of Psychopathology, Neuroscience and Psychotherapy, 7(1), 38–40. https://doi.org/10.32069/PJ.2021.2.242

Cioffi, V., Mosca, L. L., Moretto, E., Ragozzino, O., Stanzione, R., Bottone, M., ... & Sperandeo, R. (2022). Computational Methods in Psychotherapy: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12358.

Cioffi, V., Ragozzino, O., Mosca, L. L., Moretto, E., Tortora, E., Acocella, A., ... & Sperandeo, R. (2025, March). Can AI Technologies Support Clinical Supervision? Assessing the Potential of ChatGPT. In Informatics (Vol. 12, No. 1, p. 29). MDPI.

Cioffi, V., Ragozzino, O., Scognamiglio, C., Mosca, L. L., Moretto, E., Stanzione, R., Marino, F., Acocella, A., Ammendola, A., D'Aquino, R., Durante, S., Tortora, E., Morfini, F., Montanari, C., Rosa, V., Rossi, O., Ferrara, A., Mori, E., Gigante, E., Pizzimenti, M., Zangarini, S., Sperandeo R. & Cantone D.(2024). Towards integrated AI psychotherapy supervision: A proposal for a ChatGPT-4 study. Preprint. doi: 10.20944/preprints202501.0848.v1

Cioffi, V., Scognamiglio, C., Mosca, L. L., Moretto, E., Stanzione, R., Ragozzino, O., Salonia, G., Montanari, C., Rosa, V., Rossi, O., Billi, C., Quattrini, P., Lommatzsch, A., Ferrara, A., Crispino, S., Gigante, E., Pizzimenti, M., Temporin, E., Maldonato, N. M., & Sperandeo, R. (2024). Exploring the potential of LLM systems in Gestalt therapy processes. In press.

Creed, T. A., Kuo, P. B., Oziel, R., Reich, D., Thomas, M., O’Connor, S., ... & Atkins, D. C. (2022). Knowledge and attitudes toward an artificial intelligence-based fidelity measurement in community cognitive behavioral therapy supervision. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 49(3), 343-356.

De Blasi, A., Astolfi, E., Bucciarelli, F., Giangrande, A., Glorioso, A., Maciariello, G., & Perrone, M. (2025). Il ruolo del disturbo da gioco online nel ritiro sociale durante l'adolescenza: lo spazio Forteen come esempio di intervento multidisciplinare. Phenomena Journal - International Journal of Psychopathology, Neuroscience and Psychotherapy , 7 (2), 41–47. https://doi.org/10.32069/PJ.2021.2.237

Geniola, N., Cini, A., Ballotti, S., Roti, S., Gabriele, G., & Verardo, A. (2025). Well-being and quality of life for the psychotherapist: a research proposal. Phenomena Journal - International Journal of Psychopathology, Neuroscience and Psychotherapy, 7(2), 77–81. https://doi.org/10.32069/PJ.2021.2.234

Giusti, E., Montanari, C., Spalletta, E. (2000). La supervisione clinica integrata.

Goldberg, S. B., Flemotomos, N., Martinez, V. R., Tanana, M. J., Kuo, P. B., Pace, B. T., ... & Atkins, D. C. (2020). Machine learning and natural language processing in psychotherapy research: Alliance as example use case. Journal of counseling psychology, 67(4), 438.

Iannazzo, A., Stefano, S., Ruggero, LZ, Santonicola, C., Armenante, O., Motta, V., … Rosa, V. (2023). Psicoterapia mista: intervento integrato. Phenomena Journal - Rivista internazionale di psicopatologia, neuroscienze e psicoterapia , 5 (2), 124–142. https://doi.org/10.32069/PJ.2021.2.203

Lewin, K. (1951). Teoria del campo delle scienze sociali. Selected Theorical Papers, Hardcover.

Luxton, D. D. (2014). Artificial intelligence in psychological practice: Current and future applications and implications. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 45(5), 332.

Maciariello, G., Bucciarelli, F., Glorioso, A., Giangrande, A., De Blasi, A. ., Maciariello, P., & Perrone, M. (2023). Digital Wellness vs wellness in the Digital. Phenomena Journal - International Journal of Psychopathology, Neuroscience and Psychotherapy, 5(2), 143–148. https://doi.org/10.32069/PJ.2021.2.199 (Original work published December 7, 2023) Manuale di formazione pluralistica in counseling e psicoterapia. Italia: Elsevier.

Manzotti, R., & Rossi, S. (2023). IO & IA Mente, Cervello & GPT. Rubbettino.

Montanari, C., & Rapanà, L. (2022). Controtransfert in integrated pluralistic supervision. Phenomena Journal - International Journal of Psychopathology, Neuroscience and Psychotherapy, 4(2), 76–91. https://doi.org/10.32069/PJ.2021.2.174 (Original work published November 29, 2022)

Ni, Y., & Jia, F. (2025, May). A scoping review of AI-Driven digital interventions in mental health care: mapping applications across screening, support, monitoring, prevention, and clinical education. In Healthcare (Vol. 13, No. 10, p. 1205). MDPI.

Perls, F., Hefferline, G., & Goodman, P. (1951). Gestalt therapy. New York, 64(7), 19-313.

Quattrini, P., & Cini, A. (2020). Theory, Practice and Technique: Self-supervision in Gestalt psychotherapy. Phenomena Journal - International Journal of Psychopathology, Neuroscience and Psychotherapy, 2(1), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.32069/pj.2020.1.55

Rainauli, A. (2025). Through the eyes of Gestalt therapy: The emergence of existential experience on the contact boundary. Phenomena Journal - International Journal of Psychopathology, Neuroscience and Psychotherapy, 7(1), 20–30. https://doi.org/10.32069/PJ.2021.2.225

Rogers, C. (2012). Client centered therapy (new ed). Hachette UK.

Sperandeo, R., Di Sarno, A. D., Longobardi, T., Iennaco, D., Mosca, L. L., & Maldonato, N. M. (2019). Toward a technological oriented assessment in psychology: a proposal for the use of contactless devices for heart rate variability and facial emotion recognition in psychological diagnosis. In PSYCHOBIT.

Tahan, M., & Zygoulis, P. (2020). Artificial Intelligence and Clinical Psychology, Current Trends. Journal of Clinical & Developmental Psychology, 2(1).

Watkins Jr, C. E. (2011). Does psychotherapy supervision contribute to patient outcomes? Considering thirty years of research. The clinical supervisor, 30(2), 235-256.

Yontef, G. (1996). Supervision from a Gestalt therapy perspective. British Gestalt

Downloads

Published

2026-05-29

How to Cite

Ragozzino, O., Tortora, E., Cioffi, V., Scognamiglio, C., Mosca, L. L., Moretto, E., Marino, F., Morfini, F., Salonia, G., Montanari, C., Rossi, O., Billi, C., Quattrini, P., Lommatzsch, A., Ferrara, A., Crispino, S., Gigante, E., Pizzimenti, M., Melis, R., Temporin, E., Maldonato, N. M., & Sperandeo, R. (2026). Inclusivity and Innovation: A Pilot Study on Free AI Models for Clinical Supervision in Gestalt Therapy (GT). TOPIC - Temi Di Psicologia dell’Ordine Degli Psicologi Della Campania, 5(2). Retrieved from https://topic.oprc.it/index.php/topic/article/view/110

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): TOPIC - Temi di Psicologia dell’Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania

Section

Psicologia clinica e dinamica

License

Copyright (c) 2026 TOPIC - Temi di Psicologia dell'Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Per le condizioni di licenza consultare il sito: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.it

Most read articles by the same author(s)