The next generation of youth mental health care
Immersive, avatar-based therapy sessions that make mental health services more accessible, engaging, and effective for young people.
Built for young people
A safe, comfortable space where young people and clinicians connect through personalized avatars and interactive activities.
Personalized Avatars
Customizable avatars give young people control over how they present themselves, reducing social anxiety and stigma barriers.
Accessible from Home
No travel required. Young people connect from wherever they are, removing geographic and cost barriers to care.
Voice & Text Chat
Positional voice chat and private messaging give participants multiple ways to communicate, at their own comfort level.
Interactive Whiteboards
Collaborative tools for facilitators to run structured activities, share materials, and guide group sessions in real time.
Group & Individual Therapy
Supports both structured group programs and one-on-one sessions, with facilitator controls to manage each format.
Safe & Clinician-Led
Every session is led by a trained clinician. Designed with safety as a priority — no significant safety events in trials.
What participants learn
Two evidence-based programs delivered across structured group sessions in the virtual world.
OVW-Connect
Social skills & connection
- Setting group agreements — confidentiality, non-judgement, right to pass
- Identifying personal goals through the Wish Jar activity
- Understanding comfort zones and how to expand them
- Core ingredients of conversation — body language, eye contact, voice, active listening
- Levels of friendship and how relationships deepen over time
- Asking open-ended questions and sharing opinions
- Practising conversation skills in pairs and small groups
- Reflecting on group experience and life outside sessions
OVW-Distress Tolerance
Emotion regulation & coping skills
- Understanding the distress model — triggers, emotions, behaviours, and consequences
- Using the emotion wheel to identify and name upsetting feelings
- Self-monitoring distress to catch it early before it escalates
- Exploring control strategies and why they sometimes backfire
- Acceptance and willingness as an alternative to avoidance
- Healthy redirection — personalised menus of physical, creative, and sensory activities
- Building a self-soothing toolkit across sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch
- Defusion — separating from stuck or unhelpful thoughts
- The STOP skill for pausing in moments of high distress
Why health services choose OVW
Designed to fit into existing clinical workflows — without replacing the clinician.
No software to install
Participants connect through a lightweight desktop client. No headsets, no complex setup — just download and join.
Clinician-controlled sessions
Facilitators manage every session — mute participants, control whiteboards, share materials, and guide the group in real time.
Removes geographic barriers
Reach young people who can't travel to a clinic. Participants connect from home, removing cost, transport, and stigma barriers.
Ready-made structured programs
Two evidence-informed programs — social skills and distress tolerance — with session materials built in and ready to deliver.
Designed with lived experience
Co-designed with young people who have lived experience of mental health difficulties. Every feature is purposeful.
Proven safe in trials
No significant safety events recorded across multiple research trials. A clinician is present and in control throughout every session.
Built by Orygen
OVW is developed by Orygen, Australia's leading research and knowledge translation organisation focused on mental health in young people.
Based in Melbourne, Orygen drives the development and delivery of new approaches to the prevention and treatment of mental ill-health in young people aged 12–25. OVW is a product of that research, refined through years of clinical trials.
Learn about Orygen"This was a really great platform and helped me open up and make connections. I really wish it was longer — I really struggle leaving my home, let alone being around people. I hope more can come from this platform and that others get to experience it too."— Participant, OVW research trial
What people are saying
Feedback from young people and participants across OVW research trials.
"The past few sessions I have learnt a lot about distress tolerance skills and managing emotions. Doing all of this in a virtual world is helping me better understand what I am being taught. I feel like this program would definitely be helpful for others like me who learn best with examples and being able to practise their skills."— Participant, 2023
"It was a sweet experience spending time with sweet people. It really got rid of that whole confronting feeling."— Participant, 2022
"The facilitators were great! I think a lot of us bonded over the break sessions — having things to interact with or talk about really helped."— Participant, 2026
"Great way of teaching conversation skills."— Participant, 2023
"Besides technical issues it was nice to see everyone be persistent and still show up. It was still a great experience."— Participant, 2022
"It was good being able to go through my thoughts and being taught how to separate them."— Participant, 2023
Ready to bring OVW to your service?
Get in touch to request a demo, ask questions, or discuss how OVW can work for your organisation.