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Clinical staff working in mental health services experience high levels of work-related stress, burnout and poor well-being. Increased levels of stress, burnout, depression and anxiety and poorer mental well-being among health-care workers are associated with more sick days, absenteeism, lower work satisfaction, increased staff turnover and reduced quality of patient care. Virtual reality (VR) relaxation is a technique whereby experiences of pleasant and calming environments are accessed through a head-mounted display to promote relaxation. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of a study that assesses the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a multi-session VR relaxation intervention amongst mental health professionals, to improve their relaxation levels and mental well-being.

The study follows a pre–post-test design. Mental health staff will be recruited for five weeks of VR relaxation. The authors will measure the feasibility and acceptability of the VR relaxation intervention as primary outcomes, alongside secondary outcomes evaluating the benefits of VR relaxation for mental well-being.

The study aims to recruit 20–25 health-care professionals working in both inpatient and specialist community mental health settings.

Research indicates the potential of VR relaxation as a low-intensity intervention to promote relaxation and reduce stress in the workplace. If VR relaxation is shown to be feasible and acceptable, when delivered across multiple sessions, there would be scope for large-scale work to investigate its effectiveness as an approach to enable health-care professionals to de-stress, relax and optimise their mental well-being. In turn, this may consequently reduce turnover and improve stress-related sick leave across health-care services.

All four propositions, assumptions (A), presumptions (P), suppositions (S), and presuppositions (PS), are, in general, part of human language and its usage, usually studied under the domain of linguistics. Critical thinking, as we understand in these volumes, is critical analysis of human language and its linguistics and narratives and arguments, which freely or spontaneously use A, P, S, and PS. These in turn are composed of signs, symbols (e.g., the alphabet) that bear meanings (semantics), messages and information (informatics), and motivation and persuasion via argumentation (pragmatics). We elaborate on these in this appendix.

Our major thesis here is the epistemological quasi necessity of A, P, S, and PS, which we freely and spontaneously use in linguistics, informatics, semantics, semeiotics, and pragmatics in our day-to day discussions, dialog, research, teaching, conversations, and conventional rationalizations. These can be both good from the viewpoint of transparency and honesty, opacity, and human exchange information asymmetry. They are dangerous since such A, P, S, and PS could be based on false dichotomies of man/Nature, male/female, truth/falsehood, objectivity/subjectivity, riches/poverty, equality/inequality, and the like; most of the negative aspects of such dichotomies are being used for self-serving, profit-maximizing, wealth-accumulating, poverty-perpetuating, and socially polarizing purposes. Human Anthropocene history is dotted with them, especially in the developmental context of industrialization and economic infrastructure development.

Hence, the vital necessity of critical thinking for critical self-examination, especially in current MBA curricula. All the three volumes of this book on critical thinking are expressly designed for this purpose.

This study aims to explore how people with concurrent mental health and substance use disorders and lived experience of deep social marginalization perceived barriers and facilitators to mainstream social participation. The purpose of this study is to identify meaningful and relevant learning content for a virtual reality-based intervention to promote social participation in this group.

This formative qualitative study was conducted in Norway during Autumn 2022. Nine in-depth individual interviews with adults recovering from dual diagnosis were conducted, audiotaped, transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis in a collaborative analysis process.

Results indicated that social alienation, poor social skills, stigma, low self-esteem and social anxiety were key barriers to social participation in this group. This study suggests a need to learn appropriate social behaviour in mainstream society, in addition to better employability skills, civic literacy and health literacy to improve utilization of social opportunities.

This study implies that virtual reality-based interventions for promoting social participation in people with dual diagnosis should primarily focus on learning and practising appropriate social behaviour in shared public spaces before practising advanced social skills such as employability skills in simulated work environments. Learning and practising social skills appears decisive for using more complex social opportunities, such as in education, health, social services and work.

This research provides suggestions for the content of a novel virtual reality-based intervention to promote social participation among people in recovery from dual diagnosis.

In the UK, food poverty has increased in the last 15 years and the food aid supply chain that has emerged to tackle it is now roughly 10 years old. In this time, we have seen the food aid supply chain grow at a rate that has astounded many. Recently that growth has been aided by a grant of £20m from a large supermarket chain. It appears institutionalisation is just around the corner, if not already here. It also appears that there is far greater emphasis on dealing with the symptoms as opposed to solving the root causes of the problem. As an opinion piece, this paper reflects on some of the prevalent issues, and suggests some ways forward.

Recent attention has been given to organizations that claim to run on faith-based principles. Activities such as at work bible study groups, charitable giving, and the individual practices of the owners are often the focus of such discussions. In such discussions little attention has been paid to those who not only hold strong religious views, but have chosen to put those views into practice‐even when it may not appear to make good business sense.

Since 1946, S. Truett Cathy, founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A Inc., has run his enterprises based on his understanding of Christian principles. Starting with his first restaurant, the “Dwarf Grill,” which he opened with his brother Ben in 1946, continuing when he opened the first “Chick-fil-A” in 1967, and even as he finished the remodeling of the companies headquarters in 1997, S. Truett says he tries “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on other people. . . .” In fact, this purpose is engraved in a bronze plaque that rests at the entrance to Chick-fil-A’s corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

In practice, this purpose has lead S.Truett to never have his businesses open on Sunday, a time in the quick service industry that normally generates 20 percent of revenue. It has caused him to shut down another restaurant venture, Markos in Florida, rather than serve alcohol, which most patrons wanted. Despite his staunch adherent to principles that seem to run counter to “good business sense,” S.Truett Cathy has built a successful, privately held organization that operates in 38 states, has more than 1,300 franchisees, and generates over $2 billion a year in revenue.

In the following interview, S.Truett offers his perspective on why focusing on principles is more important than focusing on profits and what he thinks it takes to succeed in business and in life.

Auditory hallucinations (“hearing voices”) are a relatively common experience, which is often highly distressing and debilitating. As mental health services are under increasing pressures, services have witnessed a transformative shift with the integration of technology into psychological care. This study aims to narratively synthesise evidence of technology-enhanced psychological assessment and treatment of distressing voices (PROSPERO 393831).

This review was carried out according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched until 30th May 2023. The Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) tool assessed methodological quality of studies.

Searching identified 9,254 titles. Fourteen studies (two assessment studies, twelve treatment studies, published 2010–2022, n = 1,578) were included in the review. Most studies were conducted in the UK, the USA or Canada. Technologies included avatar therapy, mobile apps, virtual reality, a computerised Web-based programme and a mobile-assisted treatment. Overall, technology-enhanced psychological assessments and treatments appear feasible, acceptable and effective, with avatar therapy the most used intervention. EPHPP ratings were “strong” (n = 8), “moderate” (n = 5) and “weak” (n = 1).

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review to investigate these technologies, specifically for distressing voices. Despite the relatively small number of studies, findings offer promising evidence for the clinical benefits of these technologies for enhancing mental health care for individuals with distressing voices. More high-quality research on a wider range of technologies is warranted.

Although increased social time is associated with healthier lifestyles, autistic people often present in therapy with social time difficulties. Given the growing interest in digital interventions and their applicability for autistic individuals, a social time app could be beneficial to support autistic people to manage social time, but there is limited research in this field, especially that which involves people with lived experience. The purpose of this study was to use co-production to conduct consultations with expert clinicians about the relationship between autism and social time, and the future development of a smartphone app to monitor and support social time in autistic people.

A qualitative methodology investigated clinicians’ views on the relationship between autism and social time and potential development of a social time app. Clinicians (N = 8) participated in semi-structured interviews facilitated by a researcher with lived experience of autism.

Participants were psychologists and psychotherapists from a specialist autism service. Thematic analysis identified factors associated with social time, such as differences with neurotypical populations, need for balance with non-social time and gender differences. According to participants, advantages of social time were connecting with people and forming relationships, whereas challenges were limited social skills, anxiety and anger and frustration. Suggested features of an app were a user-friendly design, psychoeducational components and prompts and reminders. Potential advantages of the app were support outside of therapy, support in therapy and monitoring emotional responses, whereas challenges were task completion and personalising content.

Findings reinforce the importance of a balance between social and non-social time for autistic people, which could be monitored and supported using a social time app. Clinicians could incorporate use of this app within psychological therapies to support emotional regulation and general functioning.