The Core Belief
"Great therapy is not memorized from a textbook—it is forged in the nuance of real-time human interaction."
Every clinician remembers the anxiety of stepping into their first practicum or facing a crisis without a script. Yet for decades, clinical training has relied on peer role-plays where classmates hold back, artificial scripts that lack emotional resistance, or live client sessions where the stakes are far too high for trial and error.
We believe every therapist, counselor, and social worker deserves a zero-stakes flight simulator—a space to practice the messy, complex, and crucial moments of therapy before facing a client in crisis.
The Founder’s Journey
Founder & Lead Clinical Architect · LinkedIn Profile
In Session Lab was created by Morgan E. Dunn, LCSW (Rutgers Graduate School of Social Work Alumni), at the intersection of two distinct careers: nearly 15 years of frontline clinical therapy and supervision bookending over a decade in enterprise software engineering and technology management.
Grounded in Evidence-Based Practice
At the heart and soul of In Session Lab is an unwavering commitment to proven clinical modalities—including ACT, DBT, CBT, and SFBT. We know that effective clinicians do not rely on one-size-fits-all scripts; they hone specific intervention muscles, whether that means identifying cognitive distortions, framing acceptance and defusion, guiding distress tolerance, or uncovering exceptions through solution-focused inquiry.
In Session Lab empowers clinicians to practice and sharpen their adherence to the methodology of their choice in a zero-stakes environment. By pairing these core modalities with diverse client challenge dispositions—from passive avoidance and intellectualization to emotional dysregulation and direct hostility—the platform provides a flight simulator where therapists can test clinical hypotheses, make real-time micro-adjustments, and build genuine procedural mastery before sitting across from a client in crisis.
Why Software Engineering Alone Isn't Enough
Considering current software engineering and modern AI development, the gap became obvious. Silicon Valley was rapidly building generic "conversational AI bots," but treating therapy training as simple prompt engineering. They produced overly polite, compliant avatars that collapsed at the first sign of clinical pushback.
In Session Lab was built from the inside out: pairing modern, responsive AI architecture with genuine clinical mechanics, authentic client defense mechanisms, and evidence-based scoring rubrics.
Our Problem-First Principles
Fidelity Over Politeness
Simulated clients should not roll over and heal in three turns. They exhibit real clinical ambivalence, avoidance, cognitive distortions, and pushback.
Pedagogy Over Novelty
AI is only as valuable as the learning feedback it generates. Every interaction must tie directly to measurable competencies, modality-specific rubrics, and deliberate practice.
Safety & Ethics by Design
We do not replace human supervision or clinical judgment; we amplify supervisor capacity and eliminate the terror of unpracticed clinical moments.
The Litmus Test
Every feature, scenario pack, and algorithmic rubric we build is measured against a single, non-negotiable question:
"Does this genuinely help someone become a more competent therapist?"
If the answer is anything less than an emphatic yes, we don't build it.