[In this blog post by from Telehealth.org, a psychologist describes her experience using – and useful insights about when and how to use- shared and playful immersive experiences to enhance family therapy. See the original version for a second image. –Matthew]

How VR Games Help Heal Family Dysfunction

By Jessica Stone, Ph.D., RPT-S [Bio at end below]
July 7, 2025

There’s shouting, laughter, strategy, and the occasional squeal of triumph. “I’ve got the acorn – block me!” one yells, while another calls out, “Distract the tree!” The tree–often me, the therapist–is swinging wildly, trying to block the squirrels as they work together to steal my golden acorns. Everyone is talking at once. The squirrels celebrate their special skills, form alliances, and try to outmaneuver the giant standing between them and victory.

This isn’t chaos. It’s fun, and it’s a window.

In my work with families and groups, Acron: Attack of the Squirrels! has become one of the most effective ways to observe and engage with relational patterns in real time. It’s a fun virtual reality (VR) game, but more than that, it’s a shared experience where roles emerge, alliances shift, and unspoken dynamics take shape before anyone has said a word about how things “usually go.”

Yes: squirrels.

Virtual Reality as a Clinical Tool

VR is increasingly being integrated into clinical and telehealth settings, not just because it’s novel or engaging, but because it offers something we can’t replicate easily elsewhere: shared experience in an immersive environment.

For families and groups, VR introduces an active, relational space where familiar patterns emerge quickly, especially for those who might struggle with traditional talk-based approaches. Communication styles, emotional regulation, leadership dynamics–all of it tends to surface, often within minutes. And when that happens in a low-stakes, playful environment, there’s tremendous potential for insight and therapeutic movement.

Enter the Tree (and the Squirrels)

Acron: Attack of the Squirrels! is a multiplayer game in which one player in a VR headset is the tree guarding their coveted golden acorns. The rest of the players use mobile devices to embody different squirrels to steal the golden acorns. From a therapeutic perspective, the setup is perfect: intuitive, asymmetrical, and collaborative. And it’s just chaotic enough to bypass the typical pretenses of clinical sessions.

Almost universally, the squirrels band together against the tree. And if you, the therapist, are the tree, then the moment the family or group unites to steal your acorns is not just entertaining–it’s clinically significant. It’s the clients forming a system to work together. Often, for the first time in a while.

Siblings who normally compete may suddenly become co-conspirators. A parent who tends to control the dynamic might sit back and enjoy the chaos. A quiet teen might step into a leadership role. These shifts can be as playful as they are revealing.

Sometimes you’ll switch roles: the therapist joins the squirrels, and a family member takes the role of the tree. That configuration tells a different story. How does the group respond to that individual’s power? How does the “tree” manage being targeted? These moments can reveal subtle roles, emotional undercurrents, attachment patterns, and unspoken rules within the clients’ daily lives.

When Is VR a Good Fit?

VR isn’t the right fit for everyone. But for families or groups that are stuck, avoidant, or disconnected, it can be a valuable bridge. I’ve found VR particularly useful when:

• A group resists verbal processing or over-relies on one speaker.
• A family needs to experience something new together to shift patterns.
• A member of the group is engaged by tech or games in a way that talk therapy hasn’t addressed.

Acron Across the Distance

One of the things I appreciate most about Acron is its flexibility. Not every family or group can be in the same physical space, and not everyone has a VR headset. With VR games like Acron, those limitations matter less because you only need one headset. Client groups who don’t have a headset can rent one from the therapist or allow the therapist to be the VR player during sessions. Whether it’s due to divorce, military relocation, college, or just life logistics, I’ve used Acron with families spread across different homes, states, and time zones.

Only one person needs a VR headset. Everyone else can join from a phone or tablet using a simple game code generated at the start. It takes just moments to connect, and suddenly they’re in the same playful world, working together or trying to outsmart each other in real time.

It’s one of the few ways I’ve seen genuine, shared experience happen remotely. Clients aren’t just talking about connection, but engaging in it. Players negotiate roles, plan strategy, tease, and coordinate. You can hear the shift when it happens: the moment a sibling stops sulking and starts collaborating, or a parent starts laughing instead of correcting. These small moments matter and give therapists something to build on, even when the group can’t physically be in the same room.

How to Integrate VR into Sessions

There are a few ways to bring VR into your work:

• Synchronous: you and the clients are in the experience together, either in VR or mixed (VR + mobile). This is how Acron works best.
• Asynchronous: clients use VR between sessions, and you debrief together later. This works well for VR apps focusing on one client’s experience (e.g., meditation, exposure tools, and 3D art).

As with any modality, what matters most is the clinical frame, the therapeutic context, and boundaries. Even when the session is game-based, you’re still observing patterns, facilitating reflection, and aligning the experience with treatment goals.

It’s also worth being clear about logistics: session documentation, device management, and ethical use of tech all still apply.

What You’ll Learn (and What You Might Miss)

After a session with Acron, you might ask:

• What role did each person take?
• Did that feel familiar to how things usually go at home?
• How did it feel to work together or not?

And perhaps just as importantly: who enjoyed themselves? Sometimes, joy is a meaningful indicator that something relational has shifted, even if only briefly. Not every insight will happen inside the game. Often, it’s the conversation afterward that crystallizes what the game activated.

Final Thoughts: Play Is Serious Business

I’ve seen Acron serve as a breakthrough for families and groups who haven’t been able to connect in other ways. Watching them laugh together–genuinely laugh–while plotting to take down the therapist-tree is one of my favorite clinical moments.

The use of VR in therapy can be powerful. It’s a medium through which therapeutic work can take shape. When used with intention, it becomes a space where dynamics are not just discussed, but lived and observed. It invites participation, co-regulation (shared emotional regulation between participants), and meaningful interaction, often with less resistance than traditional methods.

As immersive technology becomes more integrated into mental health care, we have a responsibility to use it effectively, not for novelty’s sake, but for what it reveals. Joining professional communities, such as the Mental Health Virtual Reality International Coalition, the American Medical XR Association, or the International VR Healthcare Association, can help clinicians stay informed, connected, and equipped. As guidelines emerge to support responsible integration, the possibilities for immersive telehealth continue to expand.

Sometimes, the most impactful work starts with a few squirrels, a protective tree, and a shared moment of play. If you are interested in incorporating VR into your telehealth practice, or if you already do, please reach out using the contact form below. I’d love to share insights!

Summary

For some clients, telehealth isn’t enough and sometimes in-person is too much. Virtual reality is offering new opportunities for immersive telehealth, providing unique benefits for mental health care and telehealth. In this blog, Dr. Jessica Stone shares how she uses the seamless fun of an online VR video game for her telehealth clients. Read to find out how VR games fit into her practice and the unique ways they enhance her services.

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Bio: Jessica Stone, Ph.D., RPT-S, is an executive coach and licensed psychologist working in a private setting. She has been a practitioner, coach, professor, presenter, mentor, and author for more than 30 years. Dr. Stone’s interest in therapeutic and organizational digital tools, specifically using virtual reality, tablets, and consoles, has culminated in coaching use and clinical mental health use, as well as research for mental health, medical, and crisis settings. She is the co-creator of the Virtual Sandtray App for iPad (VSA) and the Virtual Sandtray for Virtual Reality (VSA-VR). Dr. Stone served as the Chief Psychology Officer for AscendantVR, is a member of various boards, and served as an affiliate of the East Carolina University College of Education Neurocognition Science Laboratory. She is also the founder of the Mental Health Virtual Reality International Coalition, where she leads efforts to create and share actionable knowledge for the use of VR in mental health care and development.