Tend VR

Immersive MBCT delivered via VR

• Eight structured 40 minute sessions

• Incorporates MBCT mechanisms: present moment awareness, self compassion, reduced rumination, metacognitive insight

• Designed with MBCT experts and clinical psychologists

Attention structuring for ADHD

• VR environments provide external attentional anchors

• Reduces cognitive load of imagination based therapies

• Participants report VR makes mindfulness possible where previous attempts failed

Between session self management app

• Breathing exercises

• Mindfulness prompts

• Tools for sleep, intrusive thought management, emotional regulation

Deployment flexibility

• Suitable for NHS clinics, GP practices, Talking Therapies, VCSE hubs, community facilities, or home use

• One VR headset can treat ~200 patients per year


Minimal clinician time

• Weekly phone or digital check-ins only

• Suitable for workforce constrained services

• Class I medical device (DCB0129 governed)

• Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001 data management compliance

• DPIAs completed for all deployments

• No patient-identifiable data stored on headsets

One headset treats 200 patients per year. Licensing/pricing structures will vary depending on procuring agencies requests.

Therapeutic basis

Tend VR-MBI is an adaptation of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a NICE-recommended psychological intervention for depression relapse prevention. Tend adapts core MBCT mechanisms, such as present-moment awareness, self-compassion, decentring, and metacognitive insight, into a structured, immersive VR format developed with MBCT experts and clinical psychologists. 

Real-world NHS outcomes (TEWV NHS Talking Therapies, n=23)

• PHQ-9 (depression): mean reduction 7.74 points, Cohen's d = 1.17

• GAD-7 (anxiety): mean reduction 8.13 points, Cohen's d = 1.49

• Reliable improvement: 82.6% (19/23)

• Reliable recovery: 52.2% (12/23 cases meeting caseness at baseline)

• Reliable deterioration: 0%

These effect sizes exceed published NHS Talking Therapies national benchmarks of approximately 68% reliable improvement and 48–50% reliable recovery (NHS England), and compare favourably with the independent Wakefield et al. (2021) meta-analysis of MBCT/MBSR interventions delivered within IAPT services (British Journal of Clinical Psychology).

Real-world VCSE outcomes (Bevan Foundation / New Horizons, n=12)

• PHQ-9: mean reduction 7.75 points, Cohen's d = 1.17

• GAD-7: mean reduction 6.83 points, Cohen's d = 1.25

• Reliable improvement: 91.7% (11/12)

• Reliable recovery: 90.0% (9/10 cases)

• Reliable deterioration: 0%

Academic research (NIHR / CIRCE / Mindset XR programme, n=91 completers)

• PHQ-9: mean reduction 5.81 points, Cohen's d = 0.88

• GAD-7: mean reduction 5.89 points, Cohen's d = 1.08

• Reliable improvement: 62–90% (across published reports)

Current deployments

• NHS Talking Therapies (Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust)

• Christie NHS Foundation Trust (psycho-oncology)

• Multiple Mind organisations across London, Manchester, Wales, Essex, Teeside as well as other VCSE partners in Scotland, Surrey and Wales

• SBRI-funded Agricultural Workforce mental health project

Neurodiversity-specific evidence

While Tend VR-MBI was not designed exclusively for neurodivergent populations, its structured immersive format addresses several known barriers to conventional psychological therapy identified in the ADHD literature, including attentional dysregulation, task-initiation difficulties, and poor engagement with imagination-based mindfulness practice. Qualitative feedback from neurodivergent participants reports improved concentration and sustained engagement compared with non-VR mindfulness approaches. The broader evidence base for mindfulness-based interventions in ADHD populations includes Janssen et al. (2019), an RCT of MBCT for adults with ADHD showing improvements in clinician-rated symptoms and emotion dysregulation.

• Works within existing NHS Talking Therapies digital pathways

• PHQ-9, GAD-7, WSAS captured by providers. Ongoing integration conversations with IAPTUS (Mayden)

• No patient data stored on devices

Tend VR was co-designed with:

• Lived experience users with anxiety and depression

• Self-reported ADHD participants

• Neurodivergent lived-experience experts (e.g., AuDHD co-development specialist)

• Clinical psychologists specialising in ADHD


Designed for ADHD challenges

• Task initiation support (reminders, weekly sessions)

• Attention regulation via immersive, distraction-controlled environments

• Supports those who struggle with imagination-based meditation

• Demonstrated acceptability for autistic adults and users with mild learning difficulties


Inclusion

• Sensory-considerate seated VR

• Delivered through trusted community partners for marginalised groups (Bevan Exemplar)

• Private headset use reduces stigma for women or gender-diverse adults