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FAQs

  • Have a look at our About page to learn more about who we are and why we exist; and our What is Tend VR-MBI? page to find out more about our Virtual Reality Mindfulness-Based Intervention (Tend VR-MBI).

    • Our team is passionate about improving mental health across the globe.

    • We focus on the potential of technology, particularly virtual reality, because we believe it can increase accessibility, improve reach, extend scalability and enable engagement of people with depression and/or anxiety.

    • Each member of the team brings their own expertise – developers, clinicians, researchers, clinical and research advisers, operations and finance leaders, our CEO and founders. 

    • The vast majority of team members are not only experts in their field but also have lived experience of mental health issues, and many are neurodiverse.

    • You can see our full team and our advisors on our Team page.

    • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a well-established approach for reducing anxiety, low mood, stress, and burnout. It has a strong clinical evidence base and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

    • Tend’s VR-MBI programme builds on the core principles of MBCT and adapts them into an immersive, virtual reality experience. Through structured VR sessions, it helps you develop greater awareness of your thoughts and feelings, and learn how to relate to them in a more balanced and helpful way.

    • The programme combines mindfulness practices, breathing exercises, and interactive techniques to help you to develop skills important in supporting you to manage difficult thoughts and emotions.

    • The Tend programme is delivered through 8 weekly 40–45 minute sessions, using a VR headset, alongside a mobile companion app that supports you to practise and apply these skills to your everyday life.

    • See the What is Tend VR-MBI? page for more information about Tend VR-MBI.

  • The Tend VR-MBI programme comprises: 

    • The Virtual Reality Mindfulness-Based Intervention 8-part course (VR-MBI course).

    • The Mobile Companion App, provided to support you to practice the skills you learn in the VR-MBI course.

    • Support resources, which are a range of  videos and written materials to explain and to help you feel confident about using the VR-MBI course and the mobile companion app. 

    • Whenever we refer to the Tend VR-MBI programme or ‘the programme’ we mean the VR-MBI 8-part course + the Mobile Companion App + support resources. 

  • Everything we develop, design and deliver is created in partnership with the people who use it, as well as academic, clinical and technical advisers. We test everything and always seek an evidence base before launching our interventions.  From our first small pilot study to our latest plans for a study exploring Difficult-to-Treat Depression (DTD), we have always started by listening to the people we aim to help, recognising them as experts through their own lived experience.

     

    With each successive research project, our approach has evolved from traditional user involvement to genuine co-creation and co-production, embedding lived experience at every stage of the research and development process. We know we will continue to develop and evolve, but only with the help of the people we aim to support. 

     

    You can see the list of academic, research and funding partners we have worked with on our Partners page; and read about the evidence base behind Tend VR-MBI on our Science & Research page. 

  • Tend’s VR-MBI programme is designed to support people experiencing anxiety and depression. Our VR-MBI programme immerses you in a calming environment as it guides you through a structured 8-week course, designed by and co-created with clinical specialists, technical experts and, importantly, people with lived experience. It guides you through a structured programme of mindfulness and meditation practices, combined with interactive exercises drawn from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). This includes learning to notice thought patterns as they arise, techniques to reduce and step back from negative or ruminative thinking, and other core skills designed to build lasting, practical coping strategies. Learning is consolidated using our mobile companion app which helps you to integrate your new skills into your daily life

  • Our own research and NHS Talking Therapies results demonstrate that Tend VR-MBI is a feasible, acceptable and effective intervention. Its scalability, accessibility and affordability mean it can be deployed across the prevention and early intervention continuum, helping you to manage your mental health better:

    • The Tend VR-MBI programme can be used to support general mental wellbeing and resilience to reduce the likelihood of mental health problems emerging, acting in the primary prevention part of the continuum.

    • The Tend VR-MBI programme is positioned to offer timely support to individuals at higher risk, helping to prevent the onset or escalation of symptoms, focusing on early intervention.

    • Overall, the Tend VR-MBI programme offers a scalable and affordable approach that does not depend on intensive clinician input, increasing access for people with existing mental health difficulties while helping to reduce waiting lists and minimise the downstream consequences of delayed treatment.

  • Tend VR-MBI is registered as Class 1 Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) under UK regulations, registered with the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Our Clinical Safety Officer and Clinical Safety Team have implemented all appropriate clinical risk management processes to comply with NHS Digital’s DCB0129 standards. DCB0129 is an official checklist that UK makers of medical devices must follow to prove their product is safe to use in the NHS. Full details of the regulation and evaluation of digital mental health technologies are published by the MHRA.

  • Tend VR-MBI has met the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC). The DTAC is a comprehensive, rigorous national baseline assessment framework used by the NHS in the UK to evaluate digital health technologies before procurement or deployment. Tend is compliant with the requirements of NCSC Cyber Essentials, it is DCB0129 compliant and it also meets the Digital Security and Protection Toolkit standards.

  • The Tend VR-MBI programme is currently available on the NHS in England, through a few Talking Therapies partners and with selected local Minds and other Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) partners. For more information, please contact support@tend-vr.com.

  • Currently, the Tend VR-MBI programme is not offered by all NHS Talking Therapies services. Where it is available, it is free at the point of delivery for NHS patients. It is also available free of charge through some of our voluntary and community sector delivery partners, and can be accessed as a low-cost therapy through others. For more information, please email support@tend-vr.com.

  • The Tend VR-MBI programme is not currently available outside of the UK but we aim to launch in new countries in the future. For more information, please contact support@tend-vr.com.

  • At the moment, the Tend VR-MBI programme is not available to purchase for your personal use at home. However, we will be launching a wellbeing programme in 2027 – please contact us if you’d like to be the first to know more.

  • The Tend VR-MBI programme is available as part of NHS Talking Therapies Services in a limited number of areas. In addition, it is being piloted with in-patients in neurorehabilitation wards, and the plan is to pilot it in other pathways, including psycho-oncology and post-operative recovery. If you would like to discuss a partnership opportunity, please email support@tend-vr.com.

  • The Tend VR team is open to partnerships with employers, public health providers and health insurers for delivery of Tend VR-MBI as a clinical product. If you would like to discuss a partnership opportunity, please email support@tend-vr.com. It is currently being offered as part of an Employee Assistance Programme in the North of England.

  • Yes. The Tend VR-MBI course is delivered through a VR headset, which will be provided by Tend VR or one of our delivery partners. There is no need to purchase your own headset.

    • The Tend VR-MBI course is accompanied by a mobile companion app designed to help you practise the skills you learn throughout the VR course. It supports you in applying these skills to everyday life, encouraging regular practice and reinforcing your learning between VR sessions. 

    • The skills practice sessions in the mobile app are an important part of helping you get the most out of the programme. We encourage you to use the app as a supportive companion, reinforcing what you’ve experienced in the VR headset and offering practical examples of how you can continue to apply and build your skills in everyday life. Tend’s mobile companion app is available on the Google Play and Apple App Stores and is accessible on:

      • Android 13 or above; 4GB RAM

      • iPhone 11 or later running iOS 16 or above; 3GB RAM

    • It is your choice to complete the course or to decide that it is not for you.

    • You can withdraw at any stage and, though we would appreciate some insights into your reasons for not completing the course, you are not obliged to tell us.

  • Please contact your key contact at the service providing the Tend VR-MBI programme.

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