Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a common but under-resourced mental health condition. Though many experience it, few resources exist to support those with the disorder. Some of the common treatments for social anxiety include cognitive behaviour therapy and exposure therapy. However, access to therapy is limited for many.

My research involves translating effective elements from therapeutic practice for anxiety into game and extended reality approaches.

Game prototypes and design artefacts will be co-designed with subject matter experts, with exploration regarding which features of games and extended reality (XR) are particularly engaging and useful for education and delivering engaging strategies for social anxiety.

A core tenet of my work is carrying out research through participatory means, involving people with direct lived experience and those who support them in the design and evaluation of design outputs.

Intended outcomes include:

• Design, game and user experience recommendations for technology-delivered and game-based interventions for youth mental health;
• Prototypes comprising games and immersive experiences for the delivery of mental health content for youth social anxiety.

I would love to hear your perspective on my research! Please get in touch: zoe.platt-young@pg.canterbury.ac.nz
 [LinkedIn] [ORCID]

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