Virtual Bodyworks S.L. carries out research and applications in the area of virtual embodiment. The know-how and associated systems are applied in real-life scenarios concerned with perspective taking and empathy. In particular, these ideas are applied in a variety of products and applications mainly with the common theme of rehabilitation. The company produces products in the domains of rehabilitation for domestic violence, mental health, sports training, and historical reconstruction. The primary expertise of Virtual Bodyworks is immersive VR, interaction, and evaluation of immersive systems.
The research group on psychotherapy and treatment processes at the Psychotherapy Training and Research Centre at the Psychology Department at the University of Jyväskylä, has extensive expertise on conducting research on psychotherapy and treatment processes for treating gender-based violence (GVB). Moreover, the group has also expertise on conducting treatment programs for GVB, which are offered in the Psychotherapy Training and Research Centre. The research group has two main lines of research that focus on GVB: (1) The research on groups for men and women who have physically abused their partners, which studies group treatments for men and women who have been violent in their intimate relationships, (2) The research on couple treatment in intimate partner violence, which aims to find out how IPV is dealt within couple treatment provided by various social and health care services, where one or both of the partners have used intimate violence against the other partner.
The research group has been pioneering in Europe on offering group treatment for IPV (for over 20 years), and also on conducting research on it, with the aim of improving treatment outcome. The research is conducted as a cooperative multicentre research network, including eight research centres (family violence clinic, family counselling services, social offices, crisis centre, psychotherapy clinic, and clinic for addiction problems) which are located all around Finland.
The group is specialized in the use of mixed-methods approach using qualitative methods – such as narrative analysis, discourse analysis, dialogical analysis and assimilation analysis, to content analysis and psychometric measures such as the Abusive and Controlling Behaviour Inventory (ACBI; Davies, Holmes, Lundy & Urquhart, 1995), and Session Rating Scale (SRS; Johnson, Miller, & Duncan, 2000). Recent research methods have included the use of psychophysiological measures, included in the treatment process.
The main aim of the research group is to improve the outcomes of the treatment of IPV. Themes of interest are the construction of the participants’ identities as violently behaving men/women, as parents and partners, and the question of what the therapeutic interventions increasing outcome are. The group’s latest interests include embodiment in VR as part of the treatment for IPV.
The activity carried out by the Universitat Ramon Llull (URL) institutions over these 25 years as a University (1991-2016), which has been focussed on the strengthening of the three URL missions – teaching, research and knowledge transfer – has resulted in the accomplishment of distinguished achievements that can be seen in an outstanding evolution of the indicators. The quality, rigour and results achieved have the social recognition of a university, which is a Campus of International Excellence.
With 30 senior researchers and more than 20 funded projects, the Research Institute on Psychology, Learning and Development (Re-Psy) is characterized by the development of a wide variety of studies in various fields of psychology such as health and personal balance, identity construction, personality and family relationships, development and learning in organizations, and teaching and learning in different contexts.
All of the research projects conducted by researchers affiliated to the Re-Psy focus on highly relevant issues in today’s society, which are mainly developed as applied research projects. The research line on Couple and Family has a long-standing tradition of research into violence issues, having received funding from the Catalan Woman’s Institute (l’Institut Català de la Dona (ICD)) (2011) to develop the research line “Violence and couple: psychological and emotional factors limiting the distance” which was the starting point of a further research line on family violence. In 2002 the GRPF together with a Research Group from ESADE and the Complutense University in La Coruña and Sevilla started the Thematic Network on Family Violence (Xarxa Temàtica sobre Violència Familiar (XTVF)). This year the ICD funds an International Meeting entitled “Violence in the Family Context”, from which the book Violence and Family (“Violencia y Familia”) was published in 2005. In 2004 the Ministry of Universities, Research and Information Society (DURSI) renovated the funding to XTVF, and in 2006 the book Couples in Conflict (“Parejas en Conflicto” was published, which has become a referent. In 2003 the GRPF was accepted as a member of the European Network REDIF (Réseau Européen des Instituts de Famille).
Blanquerna University has collaborated in conducting this research, with a primarily qualitative methodology and a gender approach to Intimate Partner Violence (Vall, Päivinen & Holma, 2016). Based on their findings from previous research has shown that the gender positioning is a crucial aspect to be discussed and targeted within the treatment
The Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (HCB) is a university tertiary hospital located in Barcelona. It is a public institution with a long reputation of excellence in care provision, training and research at national and international level. HCB is a community hospital that employs around 4000 workers (23% doctors, 55% nurses and 22% clerical and other supportive staff). As a Tertiary Hi-tech Hospital, the goals are around consolidating an organisation that stimulates knowledge and its translation to mainstream services, together with an adequate innovation in technology that ensures the development of the most advanced work practices. The priority is set in innovation on new models of organising care provision. HCB has pursued the creation of an integrated care model of service integration aiming at maximising cooperation among professionals, levels of care and institutions.