Canterbury psychologists collaborate, offering virtual reality treatment to meet demand

SECTOR UPDATE - oVRcome

Positive results for treatment of anxiety and phobias, including fear of needles ahead of Covid-19 vaccinations.

Cantabrians struggling with Covid vaccinations because of needle fear are experiencing success thanks to a collaboration between local psychologists and a health tech startup specialising in virtual reality treatment.

The Psychology Hub and The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Anxiety Clinic in Christchurch are collaborating with health tech groundbreakers oVRcome, offering patients treatment via remote VR headset to speed up access to treatment amidst significant demand. With the support of the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) material has been filmed in local vaccination clinics, creating an extensive library of needle exposure videos in local settings.

A tailored 6-week programme has been designed for those in the Canterbury region and a preparation pack including an oVRcome headset is sent to clients to begin programmes immediately.

Based on principles of exposure therapy, oVRcome is designed to desensitise through repeated exposure to stimuli delivered through virtual reality - an approach known as VRET (Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy). The realistic virtual environments remove the need to physically create exposure situations - a step that increases both delay and cost through traditional psychology methods. This unique merging of traditional treatment with technology is proving effective, with great results for clients and significantly increased accessibility.

Aimee Hanson, Clinical Psychologist and Director of The Psychology Hub says a number of clients have completed the self-help programme independently and have now been vaccinated successfully. Aimee is positive about the opportunity VR technology presents to close treatment gaps.

Says Aimee: “Despite only starting to use the programme from the end of last year, my clients who are using the oVRcome programme are reporting increased confidence in being able to receive their Covid vaccinations or have gone on to successfully receive their first vaccines. This is particularly impressive given the acuity of the group of people I am seeing, some of whom had attempted the vaccinations more than 10 times without success.”

At present, demand for psychologist services far exceeds availability, this collaboration is addressing the treatment gap in Canterbury. Says Aimee: “Psychologists in private practice are overwhelmed by the demand for services. It is typical for clients to have to approach multiple psychologists before finding someone with availability and even then, there will likely be a wait-time. Accessing treatment for specific phobias can be even more difficult.”

Needle phobia, in particular, has been traditionally difficult to treat outside of health settings due to the need for exposure to real needles. Mental health professionals faced the time intensive task of developing and creating exposure tasks. This has created a barrier to treatment for many phobias. Aimee is particularly hopeful about oVRcome’s Child & Adolescent programme with fear of needles often prominent in children. The programme provides skills to help manage anxiety for both parents and children who complete the programme. These skills are useful to all members of the family and can be used in all areas, not just the approach to needles.

oVRcome offers an accessible and affordable option that can be followed with individualised therapy if still needed. Programmes can begin immediately and treat phobias including fear of needles, heights, flying, spiders, public speaking and more.

oVRcome founder Adam Hutchinson says “We are very keen to work with more health professionals to help people overcome their fear of needles as well as some of the many other phobias that are negatively impacting people’s lives. We’re only just scratching the surface of the potential of VR in driving positive health outcomes, particularly when partnering with traditional treatment methods. Collaboration like this can only have positive health impacts for the community and scale access to treatment - which is what we are focused on.

For now - oVRcome is available directly via an app, www.oVRcome.io - or through partner psychologists.

A link for Canterbury residents with details of the package has been created here https://www.ovrcome.io/vaccine-programme-canterbury-residents

Source: oVRcome media release

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