Virtual Reality for Vocational Recovery

NCT ID: NCT07114887

Last Updated: 2025-08-11

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 20 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-08-31
• Study Completion Date: 2025-12-31

Brief Summary

Unemployment is higher among young people who experience mental ill-health compared to the general population. This can have a lasting impact on young people, many of whom are highly motivated to gain employment and education. There are many challenges to seeking, gaining, and maintaining employment for young people. To address these challenges and help young people meet their employment and education goals, investigators have developed a VR intervention to support vocational skill building. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and safety, of the Virtual Reality for Vocational Recovery (VR4VR) intervention. A small group of vocational specialists will support up to 20 young people with their vocational outcomes using VR4VR over a 3-6week period. Both young people and specialists will complete questionnaires related to acceptability of the intervention, including qualitative interviews. Data on feasibility and safety will also be collected. Results will inform whether VR is feasible, acceptable, and safe to support vocational outcomes within vocational services that support young people with mental health difficulties, potentially supporting further intervention development and larger trials.

Conditions

Mental Health Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Virtual reality for vocational recovery

Within standard vocational care, young people will receive a three-session (optional 4th) virtual reality training intervention to address key challenges associated with educational and employment attainment and maintenance.

Session 1: Approaching potential employers Session 2: Asking for reasonable adjustments Session 3: Managing customers

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Virtual reality for vocational recovery

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Intervention is an immersive virtual reality (VR) intervention, delivered through a VR headset, supported by a trained vocational specialist. Intervention content was co-designed with young people with mental health and vocational challenges, and vocational specialists with experiencing supporting this population. Content was guided by goals of vocational programs, including Individual Placement and Support.

Interventions

Virtual reality for vocational recovery

Intervention is an immersive virtual reality (VR) intervention, delivered through a VR headset, supported by a trained vocational specialist. Intervention content was co-designed with young people with mental health and vocational challenges, and vocational specialists with experiencing supporting this population. Content was guided by goals of vocational programs, including Individual Placement and Support.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

VR4VR

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. They are aged 18-25 seeking vocational support at participating vocational support programs

2. Have a named care-coordinator or key worker

3. Comfortable using a VR headset

4. Consent to recording of interview for transcription

Exclusion Criteria

1. They lack fluency in English (spoken and written), since this is required to understand participate in the VR intervention;

2. They have a known diagnosis of a moderate intellectual disability, due to some of the content delivered during the intervention requiring a certain level of understanding.

3. As the therapy uses audio and visual means of communication, participants with impairments so severe that they cannot hear instructions, or are unable to see the virtual reality environments, cannot participate. Mild impairments can be accommodated, as sound volume can be turned up, and the Meta Quest headband is used to comfortably use glasses with the headset.

A vocational specialist or staff participant will be considered eligible for inclusion in this study if:

1. Presently work within a vocational program and hold a caseload of young people

2. Have worked with at least 5 young people within a vocational intervention.

3. Sufficient command of the English language

4. Consent to audio recording of interview

A staff participant will be considered eligible for inclusion in this study if:

1. Presently work within a role supporting a vocational program

2. Sufficient command of the English language

3. Consent to audio recording of interview

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 25 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

TAL Community Foundation

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Melbourne

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Orygen

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Jennifer Nicholas, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Melbourne

Locations

Veritas House

Orange, New South Wales, Australia

Orygen Specialist Services

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Youth Focus Burswood

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Countries

Australia

Central Contacts

Jennifer M Nicholas, PhD

Role: CONTACT

jennifer.nicholas@orygen.org.au

+61399669235

James Whiting

Role: CONTACT

james.whiting@orygen.org.au

+61399669173

Facility Contacts

Haylee Lepaio

Role: primary

Haylee.Lepaio@veritashouse.org.au

+61437 415 906

Patrik Shah

Role: primary

pratik.shah@orygen.org.au

+61460853046

Katie Llewell

Role: primary

Katie.Llewell@headspacemidland.com.au

+618 9274 8860

Other Identifiers

ORY-P05-24-31

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id