Just published

Experiences of responsible gambling tools among non-problem gamblers: A survey of active customers of an online gambling platform

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Responsible gambling (RG) tools, aiming at helping gamblers to avoid gambling-related harms, are common in online gambling platforms. Gambling industry, policy makers, and researchers have warned that RG tools can potentially disturb recreational gamblers, channeling them to less protective operators. No evidence exists to support these concerns, and they can hinder the development of effective … Read more

Descriptive usage, uptake and application performance statistics for a first-generation Virtual Reality application

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Today we got a paper accepted in Frontiers in Psychology entitled “The potential of consumer-targeted Virtual Reality relaxation applications: Descriptive usage, uptake and application performance statistics for a first-generation application”. Virtual Reality (VR) technology can be used to create immersive environments that promote relaxation and distraction, yet it is only with the recent advent of consumer … Read more

Internet‐delivered psychological treatments: from innovation to implementation

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Internet interventions, and in particular Internet‐delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT), have existed for at least 20 years. In a new paper, that was just published in World Psychiarty (impact factor = 30!), we review the treatment approach and the evidence base, arguing that ICBT can be viewed as a vehicle for innovation. ICBT has been developed and tested … Read more

Special issue with 4 new papers on treatment using Virtual reality

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Today a special issue was published in Journal of Anxiety disorders. A total of 11 papers are included and we are involved in four of those. The most longed for paper is probably the updated version of the classic meta-analysis by Emmelkamp and Powers published in 2008. Trials of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) for … Read more

Consequences of ignoring therapist effects in trials with longitudinal data: A simulation study

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Psychotherapy trials frequently generate multilevel longitudinal data with 3 levels. This type of hierarchy exists in all trials in which therapists deliver the treatment and patients are repeatedly measured. Unfortunately, researchers often ignore the possibility that therapists could differ in their performance and instead assume there is no difference between therapists in their average impact … Read more

1-session virtual reality exposure therapy for public speaking anxiety: Results from a randomized controlled trial

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Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is a common condition which can be treated effectively with exposure therapy. However, inherent difficulties in stimuli presentation and control limits dissemination and the therapeutic potential. Virtual Reality (VR) technology has the potential to resolve these issues and provide a scalable platform for self-help interventions. No previous study has examined whether … Read more

Negative effects in psychotherapy: Commentary and recommendations for future research and clinical practice

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In a new paper, just published in the open access version of British Journal of Psychiatry, we present a commentary on the current understanding and give future research directions of negative effects in psychotherapy. Including what to do in clinical practice. The authors, are quite an impressive group of people (if I may say so … Read more

Immersive 3D exposure-based treatment for spider fear: A randomized controlled trial

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Stereoscopic 3D gives the viewer the same shape, size, perspective and depth they would experience viewing the real world and could mimic the perceptual threat cues present in real life. This is the first study to investigate whether an immersive stereoscopic 3D video exposure-based treatment would be effective in reducing fear of spiders. Participants with … Read more

The effectiveness of guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder in a routine care setting

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Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common mental disorder with high persistence when untreated. As access to effective treatment is limited, guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) has been proposed as an effective alternative to face-to-face treatment. In a new study, that was published today, we examined the effectiveness of a 14-week therapist-guided ICBT program … Read more

Adding a smartphone app to Internet-based self-help for social anxiety: a randomized controlled trial

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Increasing access to treatment via smartphone apps is an important topic in Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). ‘Challenger’ is an app promoting exposure exercises in daily life. The present study evaluated the additional benefit of using the app as adjunct to Internet-based unguided self-help for SAD. In a second step, we also tested how the app … Read more