Amelia Virtual Care

Amelia Virtual Care, initially established as Psious in 2014 by co-founders Xavier Palomer Ripoll and Daniel Roig Canelles, operates at the intersection of technology and mental healthcare. The company was born from Palomer's background in physics and electrical engineering, including a Master's in Bioengineering and research experience in developing devices for electrical brain stimulation. This technical expertise underpins the company's core offering. In February 2022, the company rebranded to Amelia Virtual Care, a name inspired by aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, and appointed Afsana Akhter, a digital health veteran, as CEO to spearhead expansion.

The firm provides a virtual reality (VR) platform for mental health professionals, including psychologists and therapists. This B2B SaaS model generates revenue through monthly subscription fees, granting clinicians access to its extensive library. The platform is designed to be a flexible tool, not a set program, used during patient sessions on a VR headset controlled by the therapist's computer or tablet. It supports both in-person and remote therapy, integrating with a therapist's existing workflow. The technology is grounded in established psychological paradigms like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), offering tools for exposure therapy, systematic desensitization, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques.

The platform features over 140 virtual environments to treat a variety of conditions such as anxiety, phobias, and stress. A key feature is the ability for therapists to control and customize the virtual scenarios in real-time. For enhanced data collection, the system can incorporate biofeedback through an electrodermal response sensor that measures the patient's physiological stress levels during a session. Therapists can also track progress through session reports which may include heatmaps showing where a patient focused their attention within the virtual environment. A significant milestone occurred in April 2023, when Amelia Virtual Care announced its merger with XRHealth, a Boston-based developer of virtual treatment rooms for physical therapy. This strategic union created the largest XR therapeutics platform, combining Amelia's mental health expertise with XRHealth's capabilities in treating physical conditions like chronic pain and providing post-stroke rehabilitation. The merged entity continues under the XRHealth name, with Palomer taking the role of Chief Growth Officer.

Keywords: virtual reality therapy, mental health technology, VR for psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy tools, exposure therapy platform, digital therapeutics, teletherapy solutions, B2B SaaS healthcare, clinical VR software, biofeedback integration, remote patient monitoring, psychotherapy tools, anxiety treatment technology, phobia treatment VR, mindfulness VR, health tech, systematic desensitization, blended care, mental wellness, VR rehabilitation