Location: Online
Description
The Centre for Teaching Excellence, The Centre for Extended Learning, and the Library are jointly hosting an informal presentation by Dr. Stéphane Bouchard, Ph.D. Dr. Bouchard leads the UQO Cyberpsychology Laboratory and is a Canada Research Chair in Clinical Cyberpsychology. Among other activities, Dr. Bouchard conducts experimental studies to understand why virtual reality is an effective treatment tool. He will give a presentation on how VR can be used to effectively treat mental disorders (complete details below).
This online session is scheduled for Thursday, March 31 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.
Using virtual reality in psychotherapy: Where are we and what’s next?
The use of virtual reality (VR) in the treatment of mental disorders is not new. With the advent of affordable off-the-shelf technologies, it is easy to confuse evidence-based knowledge with novel and promising ideas. This presentation provide an overview of the current state of knowledge in the fields of anxiety disorders, addictions, body image disturbances and schizophrenia. Two angles will be covered for each of these topics: (a) what do we know based on published empirical findings, and (b) what are key research questions that are currently being investigated? The topic of presence will also be explored. At the end of this brief overview, people should be better equipped to appraise the field of the psychotherapeutic applications of VR and discriminate between false, or erroneous, claims, and innovative and sound research agendas.
Recommended readings:
Ma, L., Mor, S., Anderson, P. L., Baños, R. M., Botella, C., ... & Carlbring, P. (2021). Integrating virtual realities and psychotherapy: SWOT analysis on VR and MR based treatments of anxiety and stress-related disorders. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 50(6), 509-526. DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2021.1939410
Nolet, K., Corno, G., & Bouchard, S. (2020). The adoption of new treatment modalities by health professionals and the relative weight of empirical evidence in favor of virtual reality exposure versus mindfulness in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14, 86. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00086
Rizzo, A. S., & Bouchard, S. (2019). Virtual reality for psychological and neurocognitive interventions. New York: Springer.
Registration
Registration required (if this is your first time using GoSignMeUp, you will need to set up your account first). If you have changed roles at the University (e.g., graduate student to faculty) please update your "Participant Profile" in your GoSignMeUp account. After you register, a link to the Teams session will be emailed to you prior to the event.
Cancellations
Many of our workshops have waiting lists, so if you've registered but can't attend, please cancel your registration well in advance through the registration system, so that someone else can fill your spot.
Accessibility
The University of Waterloo is committed to achieving barrier-free accessibility for persons with disabilities who are visiting, studying, or working at Waterloo. CTE’s online workshops are delivered through either WebEx, Microsoft Teams, or Bongo with the audio component available either as captioning or a transcript. CTE’s face-to-face workshops typically involve a mix of presentation and discussion-based activities, and we encourage a scent-free environment. We welcome accompanying assistants, interpreters, and note-takers. If you have questions concerning access, such as parking, building layouts, or obtaining workshop content in alternative formats, or wish to request accommodations for our programming, please let us know by emailing cte@uwaterloo.ca. Please note that some accommodations may require time to arrange.