The Center for Trait-Based Transformation has launched the first national pilot of Strength Spark, a human-centered AI companion supporting recovery, prevention, and emotional well-being across treatment centers, judicial programs, schools, and youth recovery communities.
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky., Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Center for Trait-Based Transformation (CTBT), a Kentucky-based behavioral health organization, has launched the Strength Spark National Pilot, the first initiative in the United States to evaluate a human-centered, non-diagnostic AI companion designed to support recovery, mental health, and prevention across youth and adult populations. Strength Spark complements the Trait-Based Model of Recovery and the Trait-Based Model of Prevention, which were recently published in Scientific Reports, part of the Nature Portfolio.
The pilot spans treatment centers, a judicial pretrial diversion program, a recovery high school, a public school district, and a community-based leadership project. The initiative will generate one of the first national datasets examining how AI-supported, strengths-centered reflection can support identity development, resilience, emotional regulation, and recovery stability.
Kentucky partners include All Together Recovery (Danville), Revive Life House (Nicholasville), and Serenity House (Inez), all integrating Strength Spark as a supplemental identity-building tool for adults in residential treatment. Additional partners include the 2nd Judicial District Pretrial Diversion Program (Albuquerque, NM), Bridges APG Recovery High School (Seattle, WA), McKinley Academy within the Manitowoc Public School District in Wisconsin, and a Central Kentucky community-based program serving adults in recovery and youth in leadership development.
"The behavioral health field needs tools that honor the humanity of the people we serve," said Dr. Jason Roop, Founder and CEO of CTBT. "Strength Spark does not replace treatment or instruction. It serves as a companion that reinforces identity, resilience, and strengths throughout daily life. This national pilot allows us to study how ethical, human-centered AI can support emotional well-being and belonging across recovery and prevention settings."
"Students benefit from tools that support emotional awareness, identity, and belonging," said Stephanie Boncher, Principal of McKinley Academy in the Manitowoc Public School District in Wisconsin. "Strength Spark is private, simple, and student-centered, and we are excited to be among the first sites in the country piloting it as part of this national initiative."
Strength Spark provides short, strengths-based reflective prompts that help individuals stay grounded outside of counseling sessions, classrooms, and treatment environments. The tool does not diagnose, predict, or store sensitive mental-health information, and is designed to be private, simple, and human-centered.
The Trait-Based Model supporting Strength Spark has demonstrated significant reductions in anxiety and depression, along with gains in resilience, creativity, emotional intelligence, and other core traits linked to long-term recovery and mental well-being. CTBT will share early national pilot findings in mid-2026 and anticipates additional school districts, treatment providers, judicial programs, and community organizations joining the initiative.
About the Center for Trait-Based Transformation
The Center for Trait-Based Transformation (CTBT) is a behavioral health organization accelerating personal transformation through strengths-based recovery and prevention programs. CTBT develops the Trait-Based Model of Recovery and the Trait-Based Model of Prevention, two research-supported systems designed to strengthen resilience, emotional intelligence, creativity, leadership, and identity. CTBT partners with treatment providers, school districts, judicial programs, and community organizations nationwide. For more information, visit StartfromStrength.org.
Media Contact
Dr. Jason Roop, The Center for Trait-Based Transformation, 1 2704695508, [email protected], www.StartfromStrength.org
SOURCE The Center for Trait-Based Transformation
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