VR FOR GOOD: A SOCIO-PRENEURSHIP MODEL UTILIZING VIRTUAL REALITY EXPOSURE THERAPY (VRET) FOR AFFORDABLE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Article Sidebar
-
Exposure Therapy, Mental Health Services, Virtual Reality
Abstract
The global mental health crisis continues to escalate, with millions of individuals facing barriers to accessing affordable care. Traditional mental health services, while effective, are often inaccessible due to high costs, geographic barriers, and limited availability. This research proposes a socio-preneurship model that leverages Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) as a scalable, cost-effective solution to address these challenges. The study aims to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of utilizing VRET within a socio-preneurship framework to provide affordable mental health services to underserved populations. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative measures of anxiety and stress reduction with qualitative interviews to assess user satisfaction and engagement. Participants were divided into a VR therapy group and a control group receiving traditional therapy. The results demonstrated significant improvements in anxiety and stress levels for the VR therapy group compared to the control group, alongside higher levels of user engagement and satisfaction. The study concludes that VRET, when integrated into a socio-preneurship model, offers a viable, accessible, and effective solution to providing mental health services in underserved communities. This approach not only improves mental health outcomes but also creates sustainable, scalable systems for addressing mental health disparities.
Full text article
References
Aasen, J., Nilsson, F., Sørensen, T., & Leonhardt, M. (2025). Promoting Sustained Real-Life Benefits of Virtual Reality–Based Interventions in People With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: Qualitative Study. JMIR Formative Research, 9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/57643
Arnfred, B., Zeka, F., Hjorthøj, C., Christensen, C. W., Moeller, K. S., Pedersen, M. Ø., Rosenberg, N., Clemmensen, L., Glenthøj, L. B., & Nordentoft, M. (2025). Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With Virtual Reality Exposure Versus In-Vivo Exposure for Social Anxiety Disorder and Agoraphobia: Underpowered Results From the SoREAL Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial. JMIR Mental Health, 12. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/73815
Best, P., Kupeli-Holt, S., D’Arcy, J., Elliot, A., Duffy, M., & Van Daele, T. (2024). Low-Cost Virtual Reality to Support Imaginal Exposure Within PTSD Treatment: A Case Report Study Within a Community Mental Healthcare Setting. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 31(4), 577–594. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2023.03.003
Christensen, M. J., Rydborg, M. P., Jørgensen, R., Nielsen, C. D., Mainz, J., Bell, I. H., Thomas, N., Smith, L. C., Mariegaard, L. S., Ward, T., Nordentoft, M., Glenthøj, L. B., & Vernal, D. L. (2025). Immersive Virtual Reality–Assisted Therapy for Distressing Voices in Psychosis: Qualitative Study of Participants’ and Therapists’ Experiences in the Challenge Trial. JMIR Serious Games, 13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/77920
Cushnan, J., Best, P., Daele, T. Van, D’Arcy, J., McCafferty, P., Roche, R., & Elliott, A. (2025). Developing Virtual Reality Environments for Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Clinical Routine Settings: An Open-Label Case-Series Study. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2025.08.003
Ernst, M., Bouchard, S., Andersen, T., Orskov, P. T., Tarp, K., & Lichtenstein, M. B. (2024). Virtual Reality–Based Exposure With 360° Environments for Social Anxiety Disorder: Usability and Feasibility Study. JMIR Formative Research, 8. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/55679
Fahey, C. J. (2025). Virtual self care: Using virtual reality to support adolescent mental health and wellbeing. Telematics and Informatics Reports, 18, 100217. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teler.2025.100217
Freeman, D., Lister, R., Waite, F., Galal, U., Yu, L.-M., Lambe, S., Beckley, A., Bold, E., Jenner, L., Diamond, R., Kirkham, M., Twivy, E., Causier, C., Carr, L., Saidel, S., Day, R., Beacco, A., Rovira, A., Ivins, A., … Rosebrock, L. (2023). Automated virtual reality cognitive therapy versus virtual reality mental relaxation therapy for the treatment of persistent persecutory delusions in patients with psychosis (THRIVE): a parallel-group, single-blind, randomised controlled trial in England with mediation analyses. The Lancet Psychiatry, 10(11), 836–847. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00257-2
Fujita, J., Takayama, M., Kamono, E., Shinoda, S., Yamaguchi, H., Moroga, T., Ishii, M., & Miyazaki, T. (2025). Insights From the Nihon Housou Kyoukai’s Virtual Reality–Based Social Interaction Television Program “Project Aliens” for Adolescents With Psychiatric Disorders: Single-Center Case Series Study. JMIR Formative Research, 9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/74401
Giguere, S., Beaudoin, M., Dellazizzo, L., Phraxayavong, K., Potvin, S., & Dumais, A. (2024). Avatar Intervention in Virtual Reality for Cannabis Use Disorder in Individuals With Severe Mental Disorders: Results From a 1-Year, Single-Arm Clinical Trial. JMIR Mental Health, 11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/58499
Gorinelli, S., Gallego, A., Lappalainen, P., & Lappalainen, R. (2023). Virtual reality acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for social and public speaking anxiety: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 28, 289–299. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2023.05.004
Greig, L., Coundouris, S. P., Randhir, S., Henry, J. D., & Baghaei, N. (2024). Receiving self-compassion in the virtual world: Testing the potential value of biofeedback. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 180, 104596. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2024.104596
Guo, F., Li, M., Lin, G., & Zhang, D. (2025). Virtual reality tourism as a therapeutic tool: Assessing the well-being benefits of repeated restorative environment exposures for individuals with GAD. Tourism Management, 110, 105178. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105178
Hitching, R., Kluge, M. G., Walker, F. R., Gordon, C. J., & Lampe, L. (2025). The acceptability of virtual reality mindfulness for the treatment of insomnia: clinicians and patients’ attitudes. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 25(3), 100624. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100624
Jimenez-Barragan, M., Del Pino Gutierrez, A., Sauch Valmaña, G., Monistrol, O., Monge Marcet, C., Pallarols Badia, M., Garrido, I., Carmona Ruiz, A., Porta Roda, O., Esquinas, C., & Falguera Puig, G. (2025). Immersive Virtual Reality eHealth Intervention to Reduce Anxiety and Depression in Pregnant Women: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Human Factors, 12. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/71708
Jonathan, N. T., Bachri, M. R., Wijaya, E., Ramdhan, D., & Chowanda, A. (2023). The efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) with extra intervention for treating PTSD symptoms. Procedia Computer Science, 216, 252–259. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2022.12.134
Laine, T. H., Lee, W., Moon, J., & Kim, E. (2025). Building confidence in the metaverse: Implementation and evaluation of a multi-user virtual reality application for overcoming fear of public speaking. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 199, 103487. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2025.103487
Magalhães, M., Melo, M., Coelho, A., & Bessa, M. (2025). The vividness of mental imagery in virtual reality: A study on multisensory experiences in virtual tourism. Computers & Graphics, 133, 104443. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cag.2025.104443
Mandal, K., Morrison, A. M., & Bag, S. (2025). Developing virtual reality tourism for people with dementia based on meeting psychological and behavioural needs. Tourism Management, 108, 105100. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.105100
Martland, R., Valmaggia, L., Paleri, V., Mulligan, A., Hildebrand, A., Williams, G., Raz, A., Steer, N., & Riches, S. (2025). Multi-session virtual reality relaxation for mental health staff: a feasibility and acceptability study. Mental Health & Prevention, 37, 200408. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2025.200408
Matthie, N., & Jenerette, C. (2024). Knowledge and Experience of In-Home Virtual Reality for Chronic Pain in Sickle Cell Disease. The Journal of Pain, 25(12), 104668. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104668
Monaghesh, E., Farhang, S., & Samad-Soltani, T. (2025). Virtual reality assisted cognitive behavioral therapy improves theory of mind and decreases paranoia in patients with schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 89, 102055. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2025.102055
Otto, M. W., Long, L. J., Papini, S., Culver, T., Taylor, C. T., Rubin, M., Fitzgerald, H. E., Liu, Q., Smits, J. A. J., Anderson, R. A., Aslanidou, A., Benke, C., Cox, W. R., Engelhard, I. M., Friedman, S. E., Goodman, R. R., Graham, B. M., Hearon, B. A., Howard, H. W., … Zhang, Z. (2025). Moderating Role of State and Trait Positive Affect in Virtual Reality Exposure for Public Speaking Anxiety: Protocol for a Multisite Experimental Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/80010
Pan, J.-Y., Thew, G. R., & Clark, D. M. (2025). Effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy with virtual reality exposure therapy for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial in Hong Kong. Journal of Affective Disorders, 383, 228–239. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.04.100
Quevedo-Bayona, I., Escolar-Llamazares, M.-C., & Martínez-Martín, M. Á. (2025). Differential efficacy of imagery, virtual reality and 360° video exposure therapy in reducing test anxiety in university students: A pilot study. Acta Psychologica, 261, 105829. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105829
Rosebrock, L., Freeman, J., Rovira, A., Miguel, A. L., Ward, R., Bousfield, M., Riffiod, L., Kamvar, R., Kabir, T., Waite, F., & Freeman, D. (2024). Developing an Automated Virtual Reality Therapy for Improving Positive Self-Beliefs and Psychological Well-Being (Phoenix VR Self-Confidence Therapy): Tutorial. JMIR Serious Games, 12. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/51512
Ruívo, M., Frontini, R., & Pernencar, C. (2023). Virtual Reality in Depressive and Anxiety Symptomatology – Contributions to REVIDA project from a mobile app mapping. Procedia Computer Science, 219, 1185–1192. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2023.01.400
Seon, Q., Mady, N., Yang, M., Karia, M., Lashley, M., Sescu, C., Lalonde, M., Puskas, S., Outerbridge, J., Parent-Racine, E., Pagiatakis, C., Gomez-Cardona, L., Jiang, D., Bouchard, S., & Linnaranta, O. (2023). A Virtual Reality–Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for and With Inuit in Québec: Protocol for a Proof-of-Concept Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 12. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/40236
Shin, S., Hwang, J., Cooley, A., Cooley, S., Nobel, S., Dinko, R., & Lee, J. (2025). Impact of virtual reality and video backgrounds on mental health in digital meditation. Computers in Human Behavior, 172, 108758. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2025.108758
Skeva, R., Jay, C., Pettifer, S., & Gregg, L. (2024). Alcohol treatment preferences and the acceptability of virtual reality therapy for treating alcohol misuse in adult drinkers. Alcohol, 121, 185–192. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.03.004
Sousa, V. T. dos S., Carvalho, R. E. F. L. de, Melo, E. S. J., Oliveira, A. C. de S., Costa, E. C., Rios, M. P., & Vasconcelos, P. F. de. (2025). Nursing students’ perception of virtual reality video for immersive teaching of safe intravenous medication administration. Teaching and Learning in Nursing. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2025.10.016
Spark, J., Rowe, E., Alvarez-Jimenez, M., Bell, I., Byrne, L., Dzafic, I., Ellinghaus, C., Lavoie, S., Lum, J., McLean, B., Thomas, N., Thompson, A., Wadley, G., Whitford, T., Wood, S., Yuen, H. P., & Nelson, B. (2025). Integrating Virtual Reality, Neurofeedback, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (Hybrid): Protocol of a Pilot, Unblinded, Single-Arm Interventional Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/63405
Spytska, L. (2024). The use of virtual reality in the treatment of mental disorders such as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. SSM - Mental Health, 6, 100351. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2024.100351
Tiase, V. L., Fritz, J. M., Ferraro, J., Bayles, G., Alsaleem, A., Del Fiol, G., Kawamoto, K., Brodke, D., Martin, B., & Altizer, R. (2025). Advancing Digital Access to Physical Therapy via Virtual and Extended Reality Technology: Prototype Development and Usability Evaluation. JMIR Formative Research, 9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/73783
Tofan, C. M., M?gurianu, L.-A., Axinte, M., G?in?, A. M., & G?in?, M. (2025). Comparative Efficacy of Virtual Reality–Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Versus Yoga-Based Interventions for Reducing Performance Anxiety in Students: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/66112
Wong, I. Y. F., & Leung, L. Y. L. (2025). Explore the extended impacts on psychological well-being in older adults through application of virtual reality technology: An integrative review. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 9, 100371. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnsa.2025.100371
Xi, Y., Paracha, S., Hands, C., & Angelakis, I. (2025). Still looking for new ways of promoting children’s mental health education through digital technologies: a systematic review. Mental Health and Digital Technologies, 2(4), 351–373. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/MHDT-04-2025-0026
Zhang, H., Han, J., Su, Y., Zhao, H., & Zhang, F. (2025). Virtual Reality–Based Psychological Intervention for Young Adults Living With HIV: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/55633
Authors
Copyright (c) 2025 Ethan Thompson, Sofia Lim, Ingrid Olsson
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
