WOW —Professor Cheryl Williams first play-tested the “Family of Heroes” training from Kognito Interactive. Pro. Williams then sought after the G-FMS research team to facilitate the interactive as an extra-credit assignment that would raise awareness about online PTSD & Depression training programs for her General Psychology (PSY 101), and Ethnicity, Health & Illness (BLS 150) in session courses. “Family of Heroes” is an online role-playing training game designed to (1) help families of returning veterans learn essential skills to manage common challenges in adjusting to post-deployment life and (2) connect more veterans experiencing post-deployment stress with VA services.
The PSY-101 and BLS-150 players will enter a virtual environment and engage in three conversations with emotionally responsive avatars that exhibit signs of PTSD, TBI, depression, and thoughts of suicide. The avatars act and respond like real veterans experiencing post-deployment stress, thereby providing this group of 50+ college learners with hands-on (play-test) practice within a realistic and risk-free learning environment. The 1-hour simulation was developed by Kognito Interactive in collaboration with the Veterans Affairs of NY/NJ (VISN 3). Click here to play the game.