AVATAR2 Trial Coordinator / Research Clinical Psychologist
Professor of Clinical Psychology
Clinical Psychologist Lecturer
Emeritus Professor of Social Psychiatry
Professor of Clinical Psychology & PICuP Director
AVATAR2 Therapy Coordinator / Research Clinical Psychologist
Previous Projects - Pilot Study
A small pilot study of AVATAR therapy with 26 participants was conducted, funded by the National Institute for Health Research.The results were promising; participants reported a significant reduction in the frequency, distress, omnipotence and malevolence of their voice. Larger studies were needed to test AVATAR therapy.
Previous Projects - AVATAR1
A larger, randomised controlled trial of AVATAR therapy funded by the Wellcome Trust was conducted by researchers at King’s College London in the South London and Maudsley NHS trust. 150 participants were assigned to receive 7 weeks of AVATAR therapy or supportive counselling. Results showed that AVATAR therapy was more effective 12 weeks after therapy (but not at 24 weeks' follow up) in reducing the severity of participants’ voices compared to supportive counselling.
Other project
Protocol Paper: Garety, P., Edwards, C.J., Ward, T. et al. Optimising AVATAR therapy for people who hear distressing voices: study protocol for the AVATAR2 multi-centre randomised controlled trial. Trials 22, 366 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-021-05301-w. https://rdcu.be/cl8LI
AVATAR1: AVATAR therapy for auditory verbal hallucinations in people with psychosis: a single-blind, randomised controlled trial
Prof Tom KJ Craig, PhD, Mar Rus-Calafell, PhD, Thomas Ward, DClinPsy, Prof Julian P Leff, FRCPsych, Prof Mark Huckvale, PhD, Elizabeth Howarth, PhD, Prof Richard Emsley, PhD, Prof Philippa A Garety, PhD
Open Access Published:November 23, 2017 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30427-3
Pilot Study: Leff, J., Williams, G., Huckvale, M., Arbuthnot, M., & Leff, A. (2013). Computer-assisted therapy for medication-resistant auditory hallucinations: Proof-of-concept study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 202(6), 428-433. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.112.124883