A virtual leap, one practical step: Uncovering the virtual reality of mentalization and ethnic representation in forensic youth care interventions

The central aim of this dissertation was to explore the added value of an innovative VR-based add-on intervention for youth involved in the forensic youth care system. We studied to what extent mentalization could be of relevance for the treatment of disruptive behavior, and disseminated how the intervention was developed in co-creation with clinical practice. Furthermore, specific attention was paid to co-designing ethically sound VR content. Based on the outcomes, we can be cautiously positive about what this innovative intervention may add to current forensic treatment and care practices. Working with VR seems to foster therapeutic conversations about adolescents’ personal lives and those of others, in an often hard to reach population. Furthermore, the intervention appears to offer opportunities for adolescents to challenge them to look at things from a different perspective. We cannot expect a panacea to ever be developed, but step by step, we can collaboratively work towards bridging the gap; both the gap between scientific research and clinical practice, as the gap between the complex needs of a vulnerable population and the ways in which these needs can be met. VR appears to offer the possibility of making giant leaps in bridging these gaps. In practice, however, such leaps may translate into smaller steps than we might wish to take. We must not let these translational challenges discourage us. In the search for ways to turn possible leaps into practical steps, every positive step is a win, even though quantifying this progress is complex. Let us continue the search together, convinced that in the end, the many small steps forward turn into an actual giant leap.