clarity-helper/.agents/skills/cbt-scenario-design/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
cbt-scenario-design	Designs, calibrates, and validates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) roleplay scenarios, difficulty ladders, character psychological profiles, and internal CBT logic rules.

CBT Scenario Design & Calibration Skill

Use this skill when creating new simulation scenarios, tuning AI character difficulty levels, adding cognitive distortion targets, or modifying the scenario catalog.

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1. Clinical Scenario Architecture

Every scenario in Cognitive Clarity conforms to the following schema:

export interface Scenario {
  id: string;                                                // Unique kebab-case slug (e.g. 'workplace-critical-review')
  title: string;                                             // Human-readable evocative title
  description: string;                                       // Context setting the premise for the user
  category: 'Social Anxiety' | 'Workplace' | 'Relationships' | 'Self-Talk';
  difficulty: 'Beginner' | 'Intermediate' | 'Advanced';
  characterName: string;                                     // Name or archetype of the AI partner
  initialMessage: string;                                    // The opening dialogue from the AI character
  cbtFocus: string[];                                        // Target distortions and techniques
  systemInstruction: string;                                 // Comprehensive prompt with character persona & logic
}

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2. Difficulty Calibration Rubric

Difficulty	Character Resistance	Cognitive Distortion Salience	User Task	Recommended Category
Beginner	Highly receptive to assertive communication; explicitly hints at expectations.	Overt, obvious distortions (e.g., explicit All-or-Nothing statements).	Identify and dispute basic cognitive distortions; maintain calm presence.	Social Anxiety, Self-Talk
Intermediate	Ambiguous motivations; subtle passive-aggression; holds reasonable opposing perspective.	Subtle, nuanced distortions (e.g., Mind Reading, Fortune Telling, Maladaptive Guilt).	Set boundaries, de-escalate without defensiveness, practice Cognitive Reframing.	Workplace, Relationships
Advanced	Strong emotional activation; high clinical resistance; persistent invalidation or defensiveness.	Layered cognitive distortions combined with emotional triggers.	Apply Radical Acceptance, Gray Rock Method, multi-turn emotional regulation under stress.	Relationships, Self-Talk

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3. System Instruction Design Blueprint

When writing systemInstruction for a scenario, always follow this four-part structure:

1. CHARACTER IDENTITY & CONTEXT:
   - Name, relationship to user, current emotional state, and immediate goal.
   - Tone markers (e.g., "curt, hurried, stressed" or "skeptical, passive-aggressive").

2. INTERNAL CBT LOGIC:
   - IF the user becomes defensive or aggressive -> Escalate emotional distance or defensiveness.
   - IF the user validates emotions while establishing clear boundaries -> De-escalate and show grudging respect.
   - IF the user asks clarifying questions without mind reading -> Clarify directly and remove ambiguity.

3. VOCAL & DIALOGUE STYLE:
   - Sentence length: Short and conversational (1-3 sentences per turn).
   - Natural conversational elements: Hesitations, pauses, tone inflections.

4. ANTI-META GUARDRAILS:
   - NEVER break character.
   - NEVER provide feedback, scores, advice, or therapy tips.
   - NEVER say "Good job" or "That was a great reframing".

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4. Scenario Validation Checklist

• id is unique and formatted as lowercase kebab-case.
• category is one of the four clinical categories.
• difficulty is properly calibrated (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced).
• cbtFocus lists at least 2 valid entries from CBT_GLOSSARY.
• initialMessage immediately immerses the user without preamble.
• systemInstruction contains explicit INTERNAL CBT LOGIC rules.
• Zero clinical meta-feedback or congratulatory phrases in persona instructions.