Introduction

This guide written by clinicians for clinicians offers therapists a roadmap for integrating virtual reality (VR) into their practice that combines research support and practical experience. A flying phobia case example opens Chapter 1 and illustrates how VR facilitates multiple aspects of anxiety treatment. The author’s credentials and those of her collaborator are presented, followed by a description of their approach to adding virtual reality therapy (VRT) and virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) into the reader’s clinical practice using a comprehensive anxiety model and an integrative approach to treatment. Important initial questions are answered: what is VR? Do clients respond to VR? Do clients accept VR? Can VR be used in teletherapy? Chapter 1 concludes with a summary of the book’s goals.