Virtual Reality Therapy for Anxiety: A Guide for Therapists

Front Cover
Routledge, Nov 25, 2021 - Psychology - 284 pages

Practical, down to earth, clearly written, and easy for therapists to understand and apply, Virtual Reality Therapy for Anxiety is a useful guide for any clinician treating anxiety, regardless of setting (in-office or via telehealth), theoretical orientation, or level of training. Written by an experienced psychologist who has used multiple VR systems since 2010, it’s the only up to date, clinically informed, evidence-based training manual available.

Easy-to-understand concepts and diagrams explain anxiety and its treatment, and the book incorporates research findings and clinical expertise. VRT is described step by step with multiple case examples, and an extended case-vignette chapter presents a session-by-session treatment protocol of a complex case with transcript excerpts. Key findings and quotations from research are also presented.

After completing the guide, therapists and other mental health professionals will understand the unique clinical benefits of VR, be prepared to use VR in therapy comfortably and effectively either in the office or remotely, and will have expertise in a new, needed, and empirically validated treatment for a common clinical problem.

 

Contents

List of figures Acknowledgements About the Authors
1965
Introduction
1966
PART I
1973
Anxiety Cycle Model
1974
Uses of VR in Anxiety Treatment
1990
VR Exposure Therapy
1997
VR Anxiety Treatment Protocol
PART II
Flying Phobia
Height Phobia
Insect and Animal Phobias
PART III
Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia
Social Anxiety Disorder
Stress Tension Insomnia
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder PTSD

Specific Phobias Overview
BloodInjectionInjury Phobia
Claustrophobia
Driving Phobia
GAD OCD and Illness Anxiety Disorder
Virtual Reality and NonCBT Therapies
Future Directions
Copyright

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About the author (2021)

Elizabeth McMahon, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice, consultant, author of Overcoming Anxiety and Panic Interactive Guide, and an acknowledged expert in virtual reality therapy for anxiety who has used VR in clinical practice since 2010.

Debra Boeldt, PhD, is the deputy director of the National Mental Health Innovation Center and senior instructor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

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