On 4 September 2025, our colleague Azucena García Palacios, Director of the Laboratory of Psychology and Technology (Labpsitec) at Universitat Jaume I, was invited to deliver a keynote at the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT) Congress 2025 in Glasgow.
Her keynote, titled “Digital solutions for a global problem: improving access to mental health services through technology”, addressed one of the most pressing challenges in healthcare today: the gap between available evidence-based treatments and people’s ability to access them.
Mental health as a global challenge
A significant proportion of the global population lives with a mental disorder, making it one of the leading causes of disability and disease burden. Despite the availability of effective treatments, health systems are often unable to provide adequate access. In high-income countries, for example, only around 25% of people with depression receive minimally adequate treatment. This gap is not only a health issue but also a social and ethical challenge, as untreated mental health conditions reduce quality of life, well-being, and equity.
Azucena highlighted that the problem lies not in the lack of effective treatments but in their limited accessibility. To address this, she called for innovative solutions that go beyond face-to-face therapy, diversifying how psychotherapy is delivered, ensuring scalability, and integrating and expanding the range of services offered.
The role of digital solutions and XR
In her keynote, Azucena presented digital innovations in mental health, ranging from internet-based interventions and apps to mixed reality and artificial intelligence. These tools offer unique opportunities to expand reach and flexibility, making care more accessible and sustainable for health systems.
She also introduced the potential of extended reality (XR) solutions, sharing insights from the CORTEX2 project. She explained how XR shared spaces could open new possibilities for delivering psychological interventions, improving access, and supporting more engaging therapeutic experiences. She also emphasised the vital role of psychological factors and user experience in CORTEX2 in ensuring that these technologies are effective and seamlessly integrated into healthcare.
“Innovations like XR and digital technologies can help us scale evidence-based treatments, making mental health care more integrated into people’s daily lives.” – Azucena García Palacios
A platform for global exchange
The EABCT 2025 Congress gathered more than 2,000 delegates from all 56 EABCT associations and 60 countries, providing a remarkable platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration. Azucena’s keynote was part of a distinguished line-up of speakers addressing the future of behavioural and cognitive therapies and their intersection with technology.
Her contribution highlighted the importance of scientific evidence and implementation research in overcoming barriers to adoption and ensuring that digital health solutions can truly improve people’s lives at scale.
Discover more about the impact of our work at CORTEX2, the results of our funded projects, and how we are contributing to the evolution of XR technologies in Europe: