Young people who commit serious crimes have often proven treatment-resistant, especially if the perpetrator has callous-unemotional (CU) traits. In the IMAGINE project, we investigate whether CU traits can be reduced by combining compassion-focused therapy with virtual reality (VR) training. This new intervention might prove to be a viable solution for improving the treatment prognosis of adolescents suffering from severe behavioral symptoms.
Psychopathy.comp is a Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) -based intervention developed at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. It aims to reduce the CU traits of young offenders and improve their ability to experience and show compassion. Compassion for oneself and others is learned in therapy through concrete, functional means. Portuguese studies have shown promising results.
In the IMAGINE project, we bring this intervention to Finland for the first time. In addition, we combine it with VR exposure and skill training. Adding VR utilization can improve therapy efficiency, and enhance motivation to engage in this treatment.
CFT+VR includes 25 sessions: 20 are individual therapy, and five utilize virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET). In VR, young people face social situations that provoke shame and aggression, and they learn to recognize and manage their reactions. They also practice calming skills in different natural environments. The purpose is to practice and concretize the ideas and skills learned in CFT therapy.
The course of the study
A total of 22 psychologists, working at the RISE, Finnish prison health care, reform schools and private sector around Finland were trained for the CFT+VR method. By April 2025, 19 adolescents have completed the intervention and 12 therapies are in progress.
Our aim is to recruit 72 men aged 15–20 in prison or reform schools in the CFT+VR by the beginning of 2027. After that, we will recruit 72 matched controls. The study will continue until 2028.
Based on the preliminary results, the CU traits of those who have gone through the program have decreased and their self-awareness has increased. The results have been presented at conferences in Finland and abroad. The first peer-reviewed scientific article was published in 2024, presenting a case study of one participant. The second article, which investigates the experiences of the therapists in the project, was submitted in March 2025 and is under peer review.
Read more about the preliminary results (in Finnish).
More info
Nina Lindberg
Professor
University of Helsinki
050 427 0028
firstname.lastname@helsinki.fi
Marko Manninen
Research Manager, PhD, Docent
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
firstname.lastname@thl.fi