Get instant access to a fun digital therapy app to help your child self manage their fears, worries or anxiety.
Lumi Nova is available to families at no cost in Gloucestershire. Click Get Access to register for your free Lumi Nova game key.
Lumi Nova is for children facing difficulties with fears, worries or anxiety. It is not recommended for use by children with severe anxiety, in crisis, experiencing suicidal thoughts, or at risk of self-harm without the support of a mental health professional. See instructions for use: bit.ly/luminova-ifu
Gloucestershire NHS has partnered with BFB Labs to offer families in Gloucestershire free access to Lumi Nova; a digital therapy mobile game to help children and young people age 7-12 learn lifelong skills to self-manage their fears, worries and anxiety, build resilience and thrive.
How to get started with Lumi Nova
1. Register for free to receive your game key.
Click on Get Access to register for access to Lumi Nova and complete a short survey about your child to receive your game key via text message.
2. Download the free app and enter your Game Key
Download the Lumi Nova app onto the (iOS/Android) mobile or tablet device you want your child to use and enter your unique game key to start your journey! Keep your Game Key safe and make sure NOT to share it with your child as you’ll need it to unlock and approve certain challenges in the game!
Game Keys not activated within 4 weeks may be deactivated without warning.
3. Shortlist 3 missions for your child before handing over the device.
To set up the game you’ll first need to shortlist 3 missions for your child. Your child doesn’t need to complete all 3, but will help your child choose the goal that they want to work on.
4. Schedule a regular time 2-3 days a week to support your child as they play.
Find a quiet place to sit with your child as they use Lumi Nova - The first session will take 30-40 minutes to complete but following sessions will only take 10-15 minutes.
“I noticed a huge change in how she deals with things” says Marie, “and she will link back what she has learned from playing the game to being able to deal with life’s little annoyances in a much better way.”
— Marie (Mum to Ruby, aged 10)
Backed by science
Facilitates graded exposures - based on CBT - proven to be the most effective treatment for anxiety
NICE recommended for children with mild to moderate anxiety
Supported by the NHS
Who is Lumi Nova for?
Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage is a NICE-recommended digital therapeutic for children aged 7–12 years. Through an intergalactic adventure game, it helps them manage difficulties with fears, worries or anxiety, providing a first-line treatment to build lasting self-management skills.
This app facilitates CBT (including psychoeducation and exposure therapy) recommended as a treatment intervention by NICE Anxiety disorders Quality standard and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of anxiety disorders.
Lumi Nova is not intended to be used by:
Young people who do not have parental or carer supervision
Young people with severe anxiety, in crisis, experiencing suicidal thoughts, or at risk of self-harm without the support of a mental health professional
Young people with severe mental health symptoms or diagnosis, who are not supported by a mental health professional.
The Science Behind Lumi Nova
Lumi Nova was developed with NHS clinicians and leading academics at the Anxiety & Depression in Young People Clinic based at the University of Reading.
It is based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which is proven to be a highly effective treatment.
Lumi Nova is CE marked and registered with the MHRA. It adheres to strict standards of clinical safety and cyber security.
The Beta version of Lumi Nova was trialled in 2020 in partnership with Southwark Council and MindTech. 12 schools, 90 young people and their parents took part.
Key results:
In just 8 weeks, children who used Lumi Nova experienced a reduction in their anxiety symptoms across all domains of anxiety; generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder and phobias.
Users who played Lumi Nova more frequently showed a greater reduction in anxiety symptoms.
Significant engagement and treatment adherence levels particularly with the therapeutic elements of the game.
Treatment gains for both genders and users at the younger and older end of the target age group.
Lumi Nova is a safe intervention to treat the symptoms of anxiety in children.
How Lumi Nova works
Shortlist 3 missions today with your child from a list of 15 different worries related to separation anxiety, social anxiety and phobias.
Missions are broken down into 3 goals that contain manageable challenges that start off easy and gradually get harder.
Complete in-game challenges to help build confidence before tackling real life challenges.
Learn about anxiety and how to face fears and worries through fun, story based psycho-education.
Complete worry scale scores before and after every challenge to record your progress.
Only one challenge can be completed per day & game play is limited to 30 minutes per day to avoid binge gaming.