Date
5-1-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
William C Townsend
Keywords
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma therapy, virtual reality (VR)
Disciplines
Counseling | Health Information Technology
Recommended Citation
Covington, Thomas E., "Virtual Reality in Trauma Therapy: Clinicians Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) With Technological Resources in Minneapolis, Minnesota" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6887.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6887
Abstract
This dissertation aims to establish how virtual reality (VR) integrated with other technological devices in the management of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The technology will lay the foundation for how it can establish controlled and safe VR contexts that can help patients address traumatizing occurrences. I will also stress the use of virtual therapists through online tools and applications, giving access to those who cannot attend meetings in person. Also, I will examine the individualization of the treatment process through the application of digital technologies and their potential effects on the outcomes of the therapeutic process. The research also examines how cost-effective digital interventions are and how they affect treatment costs.
The qualitative research approach will require clinicians and developers to fill in questionnaires and respond to interviews. This work will explore aspects pertaining to the feasibility of VR-based therapies and the relationship between technology developers and clinics. Also, the study will identify enablers and barriers that either promote or negatively influence the incorporation of the technology in the trauma treatment process. I will review both the long-term recovery and the reemergence of symptoms to explore the difference between conventional treatments and methods that employ technologies. This work will address areas of practice that have scarcely been explored. The research will examine the long-term efficacy of using VR when used in combination with other more conventional methods of intervention. The project will target clinicians who incorporate technologies into their practice and provide Liberty University with relevant information regarding existing developments and issues with applying digital tools in trauma treatment.
