Can virtual reality be used to enhance mental health treatments? Which extended reality experiences really work to improve mental illness? How can clinicians learn to use virtual reality with patients? Which XR experiences actually work for serious mental illness? How can I create an XR mental health solution? How can I get an XR invention to the public to reduce suffering?
Virtual Reality & Immersive Technology Program
Our Vision: A virtual world where real mental health care is available wherever you are.
Our Mission: To adaptively foster and promote the mental health benefits of immersive technologies through evidence-based, person-centered designs that empower individuals, healthcare providers and communities.
Stanford’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences houses the Virtual Reality & Immersive Technology (VR-IT) Program. VR-IT launched in 2016 and its unique position within our department’s Mental Health Technology & Innovation Hub and larger School of Medicine’s mental health care system, as well as proximity to Silicon Valley, offers rich networks for developing extended reality innovations.
The VR-IT program is active in creating scalable XR enhanced therapies and establishing standards by treating patients, testing innovations, training professionals and translating our innovation to organizations and institutions for the public good.