Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has been found to be an effective treatment for fears and anxieties, including social anxiety and the fear of public speaking (FOPS). However, little is understood about the intentions of public speaking fearful individuals to access this novel treatment. Additionally, it is unclear what effect, if any, various system factors, such as immersion or interactivity, have on the experience of presence, fear, and anxiety in the virtual reality (VR) public speaking context. The feeling of presence, that is, the sense that one is located within the virtual environment and engaged with the given scenario, has been proposed to facilitate the experience of fear in VR. Furthermore, in the context of exposure therapy, the experience of fear has been established as a necessary component for successful habituation to the fear, leading to a reduced fear response in spontaneous real-life situations. Therefore, system factors of the VR technology that impact the experience of presence and fear could have considerable effects on the outcome of exposure therapy, highlighting the importance of understanding such factors. As such, the current research project was conducted with three aims. Firstly, to build an understanding of the attitudes towards and intentions to utilise VRET in those with an existing FOPS. Secondly, to explore whether immersion, in addition to interactivity, will result in greater feelings of presence, fear, and anxiety in a VR public speaking scenario in those with an existing FOPS. Thirdly, to explore whether a more visually realistic VR public speaking environment and the individual being embodied in the VR environment increases feelings of presence, fear, and anxiety in public speaking fearful individuals. [...]