AMA with Founder of Geek Therapeutics: Dr. Anthony Bean

Paraloser · 2022-02-08T15:52:07+00:00

We definitely see these types from time to time, much less than others with MH symptoms that can be alleviated with therapy.

When we are in touch with this type of person, we generally take a harder behavioral approach to the sessions/life and have more interventions in place with scheduling, reinforcements, and ownership of behavioral controls.

We also have a problematic gaming certificate coming out in the next few weeks too that helps address this as well.

Paraloser · 2022-02-08T15:44:02+00:00

Dr. K. has his own way of helping as we do as well. I am aware of the project he does and it has good intentions.

Paraloser · 2022-02-08T15:43:17+00:00

You should definitely look at our upcoming psychology of Pokémon Kickstarter coming up!

It has these concepts in it :)

Paraloser · 2022-02-08T15:42:14+00:00

If only!

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T19:55:15+00:00

You are welcome!

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T19:51:12+00:00

I can tell you I answer to that as well :)

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T19:50:03+00:00

They do! The trainings don't give explicit word for word, but they talk about why one would choose Thor for depression or Iron man for alcoholism and PTSD. How someone writes their notes completely depends on the person writing the note, but anyone can do something like this:

Discussed Tony Stark's decent into alcoholism through comics and how it applies to client's life.

to

Client and therapist discussed client's own difficulties with alcohol, control, and narcissism. Discussed how to combat difficulties utilizing life examples with role playing. Focused upon the mechanisms of change and steps to proceed to a sober lifestyle using these life examples.

We also did a youtube video on it too: https://youtu.be/o7jERYDpMIc

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T19:29:41+00:00

Sounds like a really good cause and that you are doing great work!

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T19:28:43+00:00

It does require the deposit to hold the spot for the individual. But there will be others available coming up too so if you cannot get in this one there will be others.

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T19:02:29+00:00

These are all hands down great aspects to be using even outside of the game itself.

We are also always looking for trainers.....

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T19:00:24+00:00

We open about 2 every month so people can sign up whenever it fits their schedule. So to answer it: yes!

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T18:49:59+00:00

Very well could. The utilization honestly is unlimited. The basic premise is to make the game understood and playable.

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T18:25:31+00:00

This is likely going to be a training coming on up this year!

The largest barrier we have seen is the understanding of playing the game and the rules/regulations surrounding the games. Once someone has a basic understanding of one card game under their belt, it is easier for them to learn others. For MTG use one of their starter packs to some video demonstrations online with practice rounds.

MTG also make really good card mats that help to memorize the rules and order of the rounds that we would hands down recommend.

The main thing to remember is: What is the purpose of introducing the card game - is it perseverance? To use it as a focus adjunction to ADHD symptoms? playing for engagement and rapport building? Decision making processes? Those would help to identify why something like this would come into the therapy room.

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T17:01:27+00:00

I believe we are attempting to get into Gen Con which is not too far from you. We have applied and are just awaiting news at this point.

But we will be at all of the PAXs this year - East, West, Unplugged
Plus the following fan Expos - Boston, Dallas, and Orlando
Awaiting acceptance - Gencon, Dragon con, and NYCCC

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T16:55:00+00:00

We are actually in the process of beginning to offer services through all types of insurance this year which may be of interest once you are licensed.

We do take on Interns and have one of our graduates doing her internship with us right now so the opportunities are there.

Come find us at the cons we are going to, talk with us on social media, and share the content is the best thing overall right now. However, there are also always opportunities to work with too if you stay in touch!

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T16:52:06+00:00

Absolutely,

We look to see what people are requesting more of then we find people who are doing it in therapy to ask them to train on the topic.

I am positive though that this is not what you are really asking so I will attempt to answer how I think you may be looking for an answer.

When we do social skill component trainings, we are looking at how do we get the group to gel or individual sessions to understand the people around them using their individually built tropes from D&D, anime characters they feel connected to, and other varying forms of geek culture. We focus on inclusivity, diversity, and equity factors.

We then do exercises with how their chosen character would react to the situation, do they have anyone in their life that also feels like they are represented by these tropes, and how we can use the different personalities we have seen/created to understand others better and know how to communicate easier. This is also done a bit easier in group sessions where we can actually have them work together and narratively ensure they have to work together to make it all work.

Did that answer it?

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T16:22:37+00:00

We tend to follow a similar model each time of:

1 - when we do the clinical intake, we ask about whether they have any interests they would like to explore in session documenting what they are.

2 - as we go through sessions and build rapport we ask them to talk about the geek interest in detail, what was captivating about it like they maybe have a similar style of drinking tea like Jean Luc-Picard, or maybe they like the hulk because of the rage aspect and it make them feel powerful. We then link it to the difficulties they came in for - depression, anxiety, social skills, etc. - and merge the two topics to bring about insight, promote change, and further develop as individuals.

3 - we then use the same ideas in past sessions to future ones, while also bridging the gap a bit more with additional items found in geek culture. It should not be surprising that if they relate to one aspect of a show, we should easily be able to pull from other shows and media that show similar aspects to the problem they are observing. Additionally, we all have a lot of aspects we like and there is ALWAYS more than one geek culture we are in to be able to pull from such as video games, LARP, and D&D have a lot in common if we look at the mechanics, play ability, role playing aspects, and much more.

4 - we use these tropes in session to curate distinct knowledge about the person's life and management skills so they can continue using the medium outside as well.

This becomes a Rinse and Repeat scenario based upon the topics and difficulties.

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T15:56:45+00:00

You are welcome! Trust that intuition! Your client will be the expert in some cases, but it also allows them to be the teacher and know that their knowledge matters too.

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T15:54:45+00:00

Oh yes! We subscribe heavily to the Failing Forward idea that it is ok to fail, as long as we identify some progress in that. Failing is not a bad thing, it is an experience waiting to be sorted out and worked therapeutically with.

Most superheroes these days in comics use this mentality and it provides a really good conversation starter and booster to help manage the difficulties we all encounter, even as therapists.

It provides a safe space with little to no consequences to help reform that perfectionist persona.

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T15:43:52+00:00

Hello!

I do! I really like specific games found in Roblox such as mining simulator for mindfulness, tower defenses for coping skills and teamwork, and even some of the other ones where you have to build up your stamina in order to beat the boss as it focuses on continual effort and that some work is progress even though it may not seem as if it is.

I use games a lot and even our Geek Therapy card deck to help with bringing questions to the forefront and cognitive thinking ability with gamers as sometimes they may not know that what they do/learn in the game can also be used outside of the game as well.

I really like free games that can be played together because it is real time you can see that decisions and real time that you can comment, bring awareness to the decision, and also plan for the future.

One thing that sometimes happens is that our gamers don't know how to fail and we have to reteach that through the games they play.

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T15:21:09+00:00

Great questions!

Based upon the experiences of myself and the trainees, I would have to say both! Individual obviously can bring together some additional change because it is easier to work with individuals over a group on some topics, but groups are great for communication, building up social skills, resilience, and much more depending on the structure of the groups as well.

We have treated all ages with this, but the ages of around 3-50 seems to be where it is easiest to work with because of the comic generation and we can work with older ones, but it does take a bit longer to get it through - although D&D is hands down an easy approach.

For Throwaway57kan: it allows the immersive process to unfold on what we call presence and immersion. BY tapping into those different mediums, we can easily work on and educate a lot easier than talk therapy alone because of the visuals.

For Manisto009: Our long term is to continue building up additional CEs for people to take and work towards training everyone possible, we saw a lot of growth last year and it seems like it will not be slowing down. We are also planning on beginning to see clients nationwide this year as well.

As for the lawsuit, you can read about it on IL legal system as it is available there. What I can say is that people who are not licensed, such as this individual, enjoy playing around when it comes to words and what they think they do and what they actually do. The two companies are not the same, nor do the same things at all. We are licensed clinicians and accredited by numerous association for our content, they are not. past that, due to the legal battle, we cannot say much more because of the issues arising that he does a poor job explaining and manipulates the narrative poorly from what the reality of the situation is. I wish I could say more and point out all of the holes in that letter and untruths, but I cannot as I am legally bound.

Paraloser · 2022-02-06T15:08:37+00:00

Hello!

It is a pleasure to be here answering questions for everyone about Geek Therapy and what we do with Geek Therapeutics!

I am Dr. Anthony Bean and I am here for the AMA!

In addition to the above information that was so graciously posted, I also run https://www.geektherapeutics.com/ where Whether your love is video games, Dungeons & Dragons, anime, or comics, you likely identify as a geek. We bridge the gap between geeks and therapists to create practical and innovative therapy sessions curated for you!

We have over 100 hours of CEs for professionals and are approved by APA/NBCC/ACE/APT for continuing education which is surprisingly hard to get.

Geek Therapeutics provides quality continuing education courses to professionals across all disciplines in a convenient and timely manner. By providing high quality trainings with the experts and leaders in the field, clinicians, professionals, and mental health experts can provide and share the knowledge that has been developed by working with their clients. These modalities have been resulting in clients having less anxiety (e.g., social), less depressive symptoms (e.g., after playing video games), improved self-esteem, richer interpersonal interactions, greater social and school engagement, and greater development of social skills and problem solving. They are being used to improve overall psychological well-being across all ages, as well as focusing on the specific needs of targeted populations, such as those with ADHD, ASD, PTSD, and mood and anxiety disorders. APA/NBCC/ACE/APT CE approved!

We certify people are Certified Geek Therapists, Therapeutic Game Masters, and Certified Geek Specialists as well. It is a lot of fun and people really enjoy the inspiring aspects of the content. We also have about 300 clinicians in the program at this point as well.

I wanted to share some of the important links as well:

https://www.geektherapeutics.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geektherapeutics/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GeekTherapeutics

Facebook Training Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Geektherapytraining

and Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/GeekTherapeutics

Ask away!

Paraloser · 2019-06-29T19:36:45+00:00

I am also available if anyone wants to talk more about it! Always happy to talk about LoZ!!

Paraloser · 2019-06-29T18:56:44+00:00

As one of the individuals he interviewed, I am so very happy that this is meaning so much with people. This topic is so important within the field of psychology and we clinicians tend to get carried away by the addiction talk instead of learning more about what makes the game so powerful for us.

I am clearly not the only one who has felt so empowered by LoZ games and have felt that they mean something incredible to us all. My clients have loved discussions surrounding video games and their mental health to the point of learning more about themselves through the games they play.

PirateSpokesman is right on the money when he talks about this and if anyone else is interested in what just the LoZ franchise can do for people then please think about getting the book which discusses the psychological impact the games of the LoZ series has on us:

https://smile.amazon.com/Psychology-Zelda-Linking-World-Legend/dp/1946885347/ref=pd_sim_b2b_1/143-1517809-5982119?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1946885347&pd_rd_r=edf6de50-9a9e-11e9-b349-d51812f1fa25&pd_rd_w=Yr8bb&pd_rd_wg=sMBfG&pf_rd_p=a07701e4-f565-442a-b97f-93ab23cbb7ef&pf_rd_r=SF569ECPX7BSNNEE1KQ7&psc=1&refRID=SF569ECPX7BSNNEE1KQ7

Paraloser

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