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Avatar therapy to reduce auditory hallucinations for people with schizophrenia

Avatar therapy, first developed by Emeritus Professor Julian Leff (UCL Mental Health Sciences), is an experimental therapy which involves a face-to-face discussion between a person with schizophrenia and an avatar representing their auditory hallucination. A randomised controlled trial comparing the avatar therapy to a form of supportive counselling (adapted specifically for the study) found that avatar therapy was more effective at reducing hallucinations at 12-week follow-up. See here for further details.