What is Gamer Therapy?
What is Gamer Therapy? Gamer therapy is based on the assumption that gaming, and gaming culture, are curative. It seeks to affirm and integrate an individual’s love for gaming into the therapy process. In gamer therapy, you never have to wonder if your therapist “gets it” when it comes to your MMO, RPG, or MOBA of choice: gamer therapy is run by and for gamers. Mariya has been gaming for as long as she could finagle her hands around a joystick. She knows what it’s like to find strength and solace in virtual realms. It is her goal to validate your chosen form of geekery. Who Could Benefit From Gamer Therapy?
The simple answer is gamers. However, anyone who finds community in the terms geek, otaku, nerd, and (of course) gamer can find value in gamer therapy. Folx who consider gaming of all types to be an important aspect of their daily lives will find understanding and affirmation in gaming therapy. Moreover, folx who want to transition skills gleaned in-game to ones compatible with IRL functioning can benefit from the experience and understanding that Mariya, being both a gamer and a therapist, provides. Gamer Therapy can also serve as a comfortable middle ground between gaming and IRL functioning.
Therapy is not always the most comfortable process. Many folx are afraid of what “going to therapy” actually means and could possibly entail. Conversely, video games are a source of safety for many. It is not uncommon for gamers to highlight the many things that they are capable of doing within a video game that they would otherwise feel anxious about doing IRL. Mariya gets this and weaves gaming mechanics, knowledge, and lore throughout her more traditional therapeutic interventions. Examples of such integration include externalizing problems as vanquishable foes (i.e. social anxiety becomes Ganon and the client the ever-capable Link), processing the archetypal significance of an individual’s favorite MC, and (of course) utilizing gaming as a form of play therapy. Geekery Comprised Within the Realm of Gamer Therapy Video Games Anime Comics Table Top Gaming Roleplay Kpop/Jpop Topics Often Addressed In Gamer Therapy Social Anxiety Isolation Gender/Sexuality Goals Relationships Academic/Educational Stressors Weight/Body Image LGBTQ+ Topics Modalities Utilized Play Therapy Narrative Therapy Solution Focused Therapy Culturally Conscious Therapy Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Emotionally Focused Therapy
If you think you would benefit from gamer therapy, contact Mariya here for your free 15 minute vibe check!
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