By Lucy Caulkett-
A mobile game is being used to help east London children with mental health difficulties.
The app, called Lumi Nova, provides on-demand access to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) through an immersive gaming experience for children aged seven to 12. The range of mental health issues for children in that age group vary widely. Some children suffer mental health issues due to stress at home, others due to witnessing domestic violence between their parents, or in other cases the exp observation of substance abuse in the family setting.
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It was first commissioned by East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) in 2022 and has been accessed by almost 800 children in this age group between April 2024 and March 2025.
Lumi Nova is recommended by the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) as a first line treatment option for children with mild to moderate anxiety. It combines ethical and studio-quality immersive gaming with exposure therapy and psychoeducation to provide instant access to therapeutic ‘best practice’ in a way that is practical, age-appropriate, engaging, and helps your child to learn to self manage their worries and build resilience.
ELFT professionals will be able to monitor their progress and continue to connect parents or carers with wraparound support where needed.
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It has been developed as a result of extensive co-creation with experts from University of Reading, MindTech (NIHR-funded medtech cooperative), clinicians, teachers, parents and children themselves.
It is currently being rolled out across the UK and is funded by NHS and voluntary sector organisations.
East London NHS Foundation Trust’s (ELFT) Director for CAMHS Specialist Services, Sarah Wilson said:
“The Lumi-Nova app could transform the way children respond to the effects of anxiety.
“By providing Instant access to clinically meaningful therapeutic support, it can be a much-needed relief to those children and their carers who are waiting for support as well as help prevent escalation and relapse.
“It has the potential to reduce the number of children who need to be referred to a clinician for therapeutic care, by modelling coping strategies and developing self-care techniques, and so has the potential to reduce or even eliminate upset and unhappiness early on in a young person’s life.”
Manjul Rathee CEO and Co-founder of BfB Labs, the social enterprise team behind Lumi Nova said:
“We are delighted to be working with Newham CAMHS to bring Lumi Nova to a younger audience given most existing direct support tends to be for teens and older.”
“It is specially designed to deliver therapy in a fun intergalactic themed mobile game that can be accessed anytime, anywhere..
“Exposure therapy with psychoeducation is proven to be the most effective ingredient of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It has been recommended by NICE as a first-line treatment option for children with mild to moderate anxiety, and we’re so pleased that children and young people in Newham will be able to access it.”
The app which is currently accessible by children living in Newham andTower Hamlets is to be extended across the UK.
Lumi Nova is recommended by the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) as a first line treatment option for children with mild to moderate anxiety. It combines ethical and studio-quality immersive gaming with exposure therapy and psychoeducation to provide instant access to therapeutic ‘best practice’ in a way that is practical, age-appropriate, engaging, and helps your child to learn to self manage their worries and build resilience.
ELFT professionals will be able to monitor their progress and continue to connect parents or carers with wraparound support where needed.
It has been developed as a result of extensive co-creation with experts from University of Reading, MindTech (NIHR-funded medtech cooperative), clinicians, teachers, parents and children themselves.
It is currently being rolled out across the UK and is funded by NHS and voluntary sector organisations.
East London NHS Foundation Trust’s (ELFT) Director for CAMHS Specialist Services, Sarah Wilson said:
“The Lumi-Nova app could transform the way children respond to the effects of anxiety.
“By providing Instant access to clinically meaningful therapeutic support, it can be a much-needed relief to those children and their carers who are waiting for support as well as help prevent escalation and relapse.
“It has the potential to reduce the number of children who need to be referred to a clinician for therapeutic care, by modelling coping strategies and developing self-care techniques, and so has the potential to reduce or even eliminate upset and unhappiness early on in a young person’s life.”
Manjul Rathee CEO and Co-founder of BfB Labs, the social enterprise team behind Lumi Nova said:
“We are delighted to be working with Newham CAMHS to bring Lumi Nova to a younger audience given most existing direct support tends to be for teens and older.”
“It is specially designed to deliver therapy in a fun intergalactic themed mobile game that can be accessed anytime, anywhere..
“Exposure therapy with psychoeducation is proven to be the most effective ingredient of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It has been recommended by NICE as a first-line treatment option for children with mild to moderate anxiety, and we’re so pleased that children and young people in Newham will be able to access it.”
Data from ELFT indicates that almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of Lumi Nova users were experiencing a mental health challenge within the clinical range before accessing the service.
Of this group, 72pc saw improvements in their relationships with family and school, and in their general lives after using Lumi Nova.
Almost 40pc of the children accessing Lumi Nova through ELFT were from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Of these children, 83 per cent reported improvements in their daily lives following the use of the app.
Lisa Young, clinical lead for Whole School Approaches – Wellbeing in Newham Schools Team, said: “Lumi Nova has been a valuable tool.
“It offers an early intervention option for families who find traditional routes to accessing mental health support difficult.”
The social enterprise BFB Labs, along with children, parents, NHS clinicians, educators, and mental health experts, co-designed Lumi Nova as a first-line treatment option.
It helps children self-manage their worries and build lifelong mental resilience.
Users navigate through personalised quests that gradually expose them to their fears, thus helping them overcome these concerns.
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