Speaker

Presentation Info

Title

Mentaliserend vermogen van zorgprofessionals versterken met een VR-groepsinterventie

Summary

To truly understand one another, it is important that we are able to mentalise: to reflect on what we ourselves are feeling and thinking, while also trying to understand what is going on in someone else’s mind. Although this may appear to come naturally, mentalisation is in fact a complex and multidimensional skill, as we often tend to respond automatically to observable behaviour, without always considering the underlying thoughts and feelings. For professional caregivers working with people with intellectual disabilities, mentalising can be even more challenging. The people they support often struggle to express their thoughts and feelings and may not always recognise emotions in others, requiring professional caregivers to be especially sensitive in interpreting their clients' needs and inner experiences. At the same time, professional caregivers face many emotionally demanding and stressful work situations, putting their capacity to mentalise to the test. Therefore, targeted training is needed to support professional caregivers' mentalising skills, leading to the development of a Virtual Reality (VR) group intervention. Evidence from our prior randomised trial indicated that the VR group intervention is promising, although adjustments are needed. This presentation explores how the further development of a VR mentalisation-based group intervention can strengthen its potential and support its use in practice.

Keynote

Presentation

GFHEU Year

2026