A Parent’s Guide to Virtual Reality Therapy for Children

Most parents want to protect their children from becoming overly absorbed in video games or virtual worlds. But what if there were a way to make virtual reality (VR) more productive? Virtual reality therapy is becoming a transformative healing tool in the world of pediatrics.

This guide aims to provide parents with a comprehensive understanding of how VR therapy works, the benefits it may offer their child, and its safety.

What is Virtual Reality Therapy?

Virtual reality therapy utilizes virtual and immersive environments as a therapeutic tool. Therapists use VR headsets to create customized scenarios that may be challenging to recreate in real life.

Professionals use virtual reality therapy for several purposes, including:

• Treating mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and substance use disorder (SUD)
• Teaching specific skills
• Improving confidence in various settings
• Reducing fears

VR removes real-world risks and makes frightening elements more manageable. Interacting with a virtual space can help a person gradually become accustomed to a phobia.

During a virtual reality therapy session, the therapist will guide the patient through a session, during which the patient will encounter environments that trigger specific emotional responses. The therapist will then provide support and interventions as needed.

What Conditions Can VR Therapy Be Used to Treat in Children?

VR therapy can be applied to various scenarios and treat different mental health conditions. Here are some conditions for which it might be effective.

Anxiety

Multiple studies have proven VR therapy as a successful treatment for anxiety and depression [*]. Therapists may combine VR therapy with cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to:

• Help clients understand their mental condition
• Help client visualize and immerse themselves in CBT techniques
• Teach self-compassion and emotional regulation
• Work alongside other therapies, such as tactile therapy and animal-assisted therapy

PTSD

VR can make post-traumatic stress disorder easier to treat, in that therapists can expose individuals to triggering scenarios while keeping them physically safe.

Studies have found that VR therapy can reduce PTSD symptoms in as little as three months compared to individuals who don’t receive treatment at all [*].

Phobias

Individuals with phobias can effectively undergo exposure therapy through virtual worlds and gradually face their fears in manageable steps and with full consent. VR therapy can be effective for any phobia, including a fear of the dark, flying, animals, small spaces, or heights.

Systematic reviews have found that VR therapy can effectively treat almost all specific phobias, with 18 articles delivering positive results [*].

Depression

VR therapy can help children reduce symptoms of depression by exploring scenarios and addressing challenges with their mental health in a controlled environment and through repetitive practices.

In particular, VR therapy can address symptoms like anhedonia, which refers to difficulties experiencing pleasure. Therapists can use VR headsets to create stimulating environments typically associated with enjoyment.

VR can also be used for cognitive restructuring by providing opportunities to challenge negative thoughts. For instance, a therapist might use VR to immerse patients in meditative sessions.

Autism Spectrum

Immersive virtual therapy can help autistic children overcome specific phobias and practice social skills and communication abilities [*]. Many autistic children have sound, smell, taste, and touch sensitivities, which VR therapy can help them overcome.

How VR Therapy Helps Children

Virtual reality has become an accessible and popular high-tech solution that allows children to challenge their fears and troubles in a safe, controlled environment. Thanks to VR technology, children can engage in exposure therapy without any immediate danger.

VR therapy is also an excellent outlet for children learning to cope and manage emotions. Relaxation-focused VR activities, such as guided imagery and meditation, can help treat generalized anxiety and teach children to manage their stress. Incorporating mindfulness techniques and therapeutic landscapes can also help restore emotional balance.

Perhaps most pertinent to children undergoing therapy for the first time is how immersive and engaging VR therapy is. Children have notoriously short attention spans, and VR provides a more stimulating way to talk about potentially intimidating topics.

Is VR Therapy Safe for Kids?

Because pediatric therapists and VR developers work closely together, VR therapy is relatively safe. It’s suitable for children of all ages and can be tailored to their specific therapy needs.

In addition, because it aims to relieve anxiety, it can also reduce pain and make children feel more physically safe during sessions.

Therapists will be physically present with children during each session to ensure they are safe and supported.

Occasionally, children may experience side effects, including the following:

• Cybersickness, which is similar to motion sickness, in which a child might experience nausea, dizziness, or headaches
• Eye strain or visual discomfort, which can lead to blurred vision
• Disorientation and balance issues
• Depersonalization or derealization, wherein a child might feel like the world around them isn’t real

Fortunately, mitigating these risks is simple. Therapists can include regular breaks throughout the session and start with more gradual exposure.

What to Expect in a VR Therapy Session

During a VR therapy session, the individual sits in a dimly lit room and wears a VR headset that covers their eyes. Then, the individual becomes immersed in a virtual environment that may trigger fears or trauma.

The therapist will also see what the individual sees through their headset and guide them through the session. They might ask questions like:

• Is the environment you’re seeing triggering any physical reactions? What do you feel in your body?
• Is there anything you’re seeing that feels particularly challenging to acknowledge?
• Do you want to adjust anything about the environment to suit your comfort level better?

Then, the therapist will facilitate a post-session reflection. They’ll ask the patient to reflect on how the VR experience compares to real-life scenarios they’ve encountered and whether they experienced any thoughts that surprised them.

A typical VR session lasts between 30 and 60 minutes. When applied to specific phobias or more complex conditions, a session may run up to 90 minutes. Depending on the severity of the condition, individuals may undergo VR therapy one to three times weekly.

The Bottom Line

Virtual reality therapy presents a highly promising outlet for children with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and specific phobias. While VR therapy may seem complex, all it takes is a little studying and support from professionals to turn it into a helpful tool for supporting your child’s mental wellness.

Review more of our collection of worksheets to discover other ways to integrate therapeutic activities into your child’s daily routine.

Sources:

1. Lindner P, Hamilton W, Miloff A, Per Carlbring. “How to Treat Depression With Low-Intensity Virtual Reality Interventions: Perspectives on Translating Cognitive Behavioral Techniques Into the Virtual Reality Modality and How to Make Anti-Depressive Use of Virtual Reality–Unique Experiences.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2019.
2. Deng W, Hu D, Xu S, et al. “The efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy for PTSD symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Journal of Affective Disorders, 2019.
3. Albakri G, Bouaziz R, Alharthi W, et al. “Phobia Exposure Therapy Using Virtual and Augmented Reality: A Systematic Review.” Applied Sciences. 2022;12(3):1672. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031672
4. Alessandro Frolli, Savarese G, Carmine FD, et al. “Children on the Autism Spectrum and the Use of Virtual Reality for Supporting Social Skills.” Children, 2022.