About oVRcome
Hi! We’re oVRcome. A New Zealand based start-up from Christchurch. We use innovative technologies to improve mental wellbeing. We unite clinical expertize and cutting-edge virtual reality home technology to help people overcome their fears and anxieties.
Why oVRcome?
Our Commitment
We are committed to reducing the global treatment gap through highly effective, accessible, and affordable digital products.
Our Values
We want to make it easy for people to overcome phobias and anxieties. With oVRcome, anyone who needs help can get it with just a tap on their phone.
Our Mission
Whether you have an ongoing anxiety condition or you're going through a rough patch, our mission is to make sure that things like time, money, and worry won't stop you from getting the help you need to enjoy life.
Our goal
Research has shown that 80% of people with an anxiety disorder like a phobia or social anxiety receive no treatment at all. This is called the Treatment Gap.
The main reasons are due to cost, location, stigma and a lack of trained psychologists.
Our goal with oVRcome is to make treatment for these anxiety disorders easy and accessible for everyone who needs it around the world.
The team
Our team of clinical psychologists, health and technology experts provide the experience and ability to develop oVRcome.
Adam Hutchinson
FOUNDER
Adam is an innovative technology entrepreneur having founded award winning start-up GeoZone in 2013 (winner of the NZ Hi-Tech Awards 2015, NZ Innovation Award 2017) and Australasia's most popular multi-lingual camping app CamperMate in 2011 which were both acquired by the worlds largest campervan rental company Tourism Holdings in 2015.
Kathryn Harvey
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Kathryn is an experienced Clinical Psychologist with over thirteen years experience in the field. She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults in diverse settings including specialised services for youth, mental health rehabilitation, adult community mental health, inpatient mental health units, and in private practice where she has been since 2013.
Dr. Rachel Findlay
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Rachel is a registered Clinical Psychologist who attained a Doctor of Clinical Psychology degree from Massey University. She is a member of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists (NZCCP). She has training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), and Solution-Focused Therapy.
Albert “Skip” Rizzo, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Skip is a clinical psychologist and Director of Medical VR at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies. He is also a Research Professor with the USC Dept. of Psychiatry and School of Gerontology. Over the last 25 years, Skip has conducted research on the design, development and evaluation
of Virtual Reality systems targeting the areas of clinical assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation across the domains of psychological, cognitive and motor functioning in both healthy and clinical populations.
Prof. Mark Billinghurst Ph.D.
TECHNICAL ADVISOR
Mark is Professor at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, Australia, and at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, directing the Empathic Computing Laboratory in both places. He earned a PhD in 2002 from the University of Washington and researches how virtual and real worlds can be merged, publishing over 600 papers on Augmented Reality, remote collaboration, Empathic Computing, and related topics. In 2013 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in recognition of his research and commercialisation efforts in Augmented Reality.
Michelle Walsh
REGULATORY ADVISOR
Michelle is an expert in product development, manufacturing, quality, regulatory and commercialization. She has over 20 years’ international experience in regions such as Europe and the USA, working in a multitude of industries includingelectronics, biotech and medical devices. Her BSc in Applied Physics and a MSc inStrategic Quality Management has enabled her to work with a number ofmulti-national companies including Stryker Corporation and Boston Scientific.
Dr. Ryan San Diego, PhD
CLINICAL ADVISOR
Ryan is a registered psychologist with a speciality in mental health and addiction. He is balancing clinical practice, research and teaching for several years now. He earned his PhD at the Dept. of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland and a research fellowship in clinical education and patient safety at the School of Medicine. He also received fellowship awards from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and the Jacobs Foundation, USA. He is interested in combining clinical insights with the uptake of emerging technologies to address some treatment gaps in psychological practice.
Dr. María Barroso MD, PhD
MEDICAL ADVISOR
Maria is a GP passionate about preventive medicine, mHealth, patient empowerment and sustainable behavioural changes.
With a strong background in public health and evidence based medicine, got into health technology while doing her PhD in Biomedical Research, Autonomous University of Barcelona, validating a point of care device for the self-screening of cardiovascular risk.
She is dedicated to high-tech and high-touch solutions.
Dr Jin Teo, PhD
Jin has a PhD in Cognitive Science from Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne; a BA and BSc in Mass Communications and Psychology from the University of Canterbury, and a degree in Dance Pedagogy from the British Ballet Organization, London. Jin’s research focuses on developing culturally relevant and creatively engaging behavioural interventions for neurodiverse individuals.
Catherine Gallagher
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Catherine is a clinical psychologist who has worked over the last 20 years in both the public and private sectors with a particular focus on children and young people. She is currently the Clinical Practice Manager at START (a community based agency that supports children, youth and adults who have experienced sexual harm) alongside a private practice where she offers individual and family therapy with people of all ages, community education, and supervision.
Kasia Sadowska
Kasia is an experienced community and support manager having supported a number of app based digital communities as well as helping customers adopt new technology into their business operations. Kasia has also been involved in a number of award winning technology projects across New Zealand and Australia.
Matt Mischewski.
Matt is a talented Virtual Reality software engineer. Within the Software Engineering and Computer Science field, his key technology interests involve both web and mobile application development, working on both frontend and backend aspects of development
Julie Collard
Julie has extensive experience in the development of award winning user experiences. She has designed the experience behind mobile applications such as the NZ Fishing Rules app, CamperMate and the GeoZone apps and has extensive experience in the UX behind many health and wellbeing applications.
Michael Adams
Michael is an experienced backend developer having built and worked with a number of backend systems with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Michael has built and maintained the systems to support a number of apps such as CamperMate and the GeoZone suite of applications. Michael was also involved in the MBIE Ambassador App application for use by district councils to manage freedom campers in the summer 2019/2020
Daniel Collins
Daniel is an experienced game and Virtual Reality app developer based in Christchurch.
He has worked with a number of global brands bringing international games and apps to life and taught asset production as a Design Fellow in the School of Product Design at Canterbury University.
Adam Hodgson
Adam is a talented and enthusiastic photographer, videographer and editor based in Christchurch who specialises in filming commercial 360 videos designed for Virtual Reality experiences. In addition to this, Adam is currently studying toward a design degree at Ara.
Holly Smith
Holly is currently completing a PhD at Canterbury University focusing on emotional regulation in children. During her Masters research Holly had the opportunity to work closely with the ASD community to trial video self modelling in the treatment of anxiety and phobias. Alongside her extensive research experience, Holly has also worked as a Mental Health and Addiction counsellor.
Interested in joining us?
Order your oVRcome headset
Get oVRcome premium and we will deliver your oVRcome headset to your home.
Ready for a new Reality?
Start your journey today and lower your anxiety in 16 VR Simulations
Download the free oVRcome app now
