26 January 2022
A virtual therapy-lab solution created by Tietoevry and Latvia’s Adolescent and Youth Psychotherapy Centre is on show at Latvia’s pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai. The lab will also be featured at the global healthcare event Arab Health 2022.
The aim of the virtual therapy lab is to improve important emotional-control skills among teenagers and young people. The innovation makes it possible to offer psychotherapeutic consultations in an expanded virtual-reality environment using next-generation technologies. Designed by both Latvian and international psychotherapy and IT experts, the lab is being presented in Dubai as part of a biomedicine trade mission organized by the Latvian Investment and Development Agency.
“We live in a complex time, so it’s enormously important to support the mental health of teens and young people,” says Tietoevry Country Manager for Latvia, Valērija Vārna. “Virtual reality can be used even if the patient and the specialist are in different locations, yet the evaluation and diagnostics can be deeper and more precise. We hope that this solution will change people’s thinking about mental-therapy methodologies.”
The first phase of the virtual-therapy lab experiment convinced experts that the innovative approach is effective if managed by specialists. Clinical research for the second phase is now underway.
“We are at the start of an exciting journey toward improving the well-being of young people around the world. Our hope is that this initiative will bring positive changes to societies at large,” says the Director of Latvia’s Adolescent and Youth Psychotherapy Centre, Nils Sakss Konstantinovs.
“The virtual therapy laboratory has some elements that conform to the reality in which the therapy is being conducted. But the virtual-reality experience has also made it possible to improve certain elements, such as making the room darker or lighter, or integrating various objects to successfully reflect the mood and needs of the patient’s visit,” says Sakss Konstantinovs.
Arab Health, the Middle East’s leading medical-equipment exhibition, is taking place in Dubai from 24 to 27 January alongside Expo 2020. More than 56,000 people visit the event, which features some 3,500 exhibitors from 60 countries.
For further information, please contact:
Tietoevry Newsdesk, news@tietoevry.com, +358 40 570 4072
Tietoevry creates purposeful technology that reinvents the world for good. We are a leading technology company with a strong Nordic heritage and global capabilities. Based on our core values of openness, trust and diversity, we work with our customers to develop digital futures where businesses, societies, and humanity thrive.
Our 24,000 experts globally specialize in cloud, data, and software, serving thousands of enterprise and public-sector customers in more than 90 countries. Tietoevry’s annual turnover is approximately EUR 3 billion and the company’s shares are listed on the NASDAQ exchange in Helsinki and Stockholm, as well as on Oslo Børs. www.tietoevry.com
The Adolescent and Youth Psychotherapy Centre specialises in working with people from the age of 12 to 25, helping them to overcome psychological and emotional difficulties. The goal of the centre is to use the very best specialists and to create the safest and friendliest place for families, teenagers and young people. The professionals at the centre have many years of experience with such services in Latvia. Several hundred teenagers and families have made use of the centre’s services. Our approach and methodology are tailored to the therapeutic needs of young people.