health

Wave: A Preventative Virtual Reality Therapeutic Intervention for Youth At Risk

~ drmmu ~ Leave a comment

The provision of education for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is currently facing systemic challenges. In some local areas, the gap between strategic ambition and lived reality is stark, evidenced by nearly 7,000 school suspensions in one academic year. This crisis is not merely administrative; it represents a profound loss of potential for young people and creates a staggering financial burden, where just 50 permanent exclusions can generate a future liability to the state of nearly £10 million.

At the University of Northampton, we believe it is time for a paradigm shift from reactive crisis management to proactive, evidence-based prevention. In partnership with West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT), and local schools, we are piloting Wave: a preventative Virtual Reality (VR) therapeutic intervention.

Wave is designed to support young people who may be resistant to conventional “talk therapy.” By integrating proven principles of evidence-based therapies into an immersive VR environment, we are creating a tool that feels less like a clinical appointment and more like a “training game.”

How Wave Works:

  • Stigma Reduction: By gamifying the therapeutic process, we lower the barrier to entry for adolescents struggling with anxiety and disruptive behaviours.
  • Skill Building: The intervention guides users to practise mindfulness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance in a safe, controlled environment.
  • Accessibility: It is designed for deployment in mainstream schools, SEND settings, and Family Hubs, reaching young people where they are.

Through mixed-method studies, we aim to demonstrate that digital innovation can deliver tangible returns. The human impact: helping children fulfil their potential and avoid the “shadow SEND system” is our primary driver.

This project supports the NHS “Fit for the Future” 10-Year Plan, moving the service toward greater responsiveness and technological advancement. We have successfully moved past the conceptual stage and are now refining the intervention based on real-world feedback from clinical psychologists and young people with learning disabilities.

We are currently piloting these solutions in Northamptonshire, but our vision is scalable. We welcome dialogue with educational trusts, healthcare providers, and potential funding partners who are interested in rigorous, technology-driven mental health solutions.

If you are interested in the intersection of digital innovation and youth mental health, or wish to support the expansion of this pilot, we invite you to connect with us.

InnerVoice – VR training for addiction recovery

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We are funded by Innovate UK and West Northamptonshire Council to pilot a new VR training tool for addiction recovery.

Many parts of the UK face a worsening drug and alcohol addiction crisis, with rising deaths and hospital admissions. Alcohol-related deaths tripled and drug-related deaths doubled since 2015. Most adults who require specialist substance misuse treatment (82% for alcohol and 50% for drug misuse) are not accessing services.

Addiction recovery is hard and full of setbacks, challenges and moments of vulnerability. It requires people to be patient with themselves and to actively engage in techniques as they work through the challenges. But there is a painful gap. When we spoke to members of addiction services, we learned that while support and learning are available, they often fall short in practice. Many individuals lack confidence in their key coping skills, especially when things become stressful. The result is that many choose to retreat, distancing themselves from healthy relationships and interpersonal connections they need most.

That’s why we are developing InnerVoice, a new VR intervention to bridge the gap. The project is supported by Innovate UK’s AKT programme, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), and a network of charities. We’ve worked closely with community groups to ensure the therapy is safe, usable, and truly meets the user’s needs.

InnerVoice uses game design and immersive media to translate abstract therapeutic concepts into actionable confidence. It helps people understand their emotions effectively, practise self-compassion and life-changing coping skills in a safe, private space with virtual companions, and ultimately work towards a life they genuinely feel is worth living.

The innovation reflects key government priorities, outlined in ‘From Harm to Hope’, to create evidence that underpins novel digital therapeutics and technological interventions. The project is a crucial development for the WNC’s Alcohol and Drug Service, where digitisation is placed at the forefront. The innovation will benefit a network of addiction support charities and further boost digital innovations and investment in addiction services, fostering a local ecosystem of talent and expertise in health technology.