Geek Therapy is part of the wonderful world of helping professionals integrating Geek culture into their work. Think psychologists using comic books, counseling using D&D, recreational therapists using anime, or teachers using video games to teach history.
I coined the term Geek Therapy in 2011 and it refers to a specific model of integrating Geek culture into practice. I was inspired by the Geek culture work of Lawrence Rubin, Robin Rosenberg, Patrick O’Connor, and others and my clinical training in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy at the Albert Ellis Center in NYC, to develop the model further. Since 2011, Geek Therapy has grown into a brand for teaching and promoting the ideas of the Geek Therapy model and the work of others in the geeky helping professional community.
Geek Therapy’s Origin Story
On June 20, 2011, I was working as a mental health counseling intern and asked to use video games with my clients.
My supervisor said “no” and I went home and created a curated news website about the positive applications of video games and other staples of Geek culture, and called it Geek Therapy.
I then went on to develop a Geek Therapy mindset and model for integrating Geek culture into mental health practice, education, and more.
The Geek Therapy Network
The Geek Therapy Network is a collaborative of independent content creators who believe in Geek Therapy’s mission of using Geek culture for good.
GT Network projects focus on exploring and understanding media through the lens of mental health and psychology. Our content allows helping professionals to see this practice at work on a weekly basis, through different voices and different media.
Most of our content creators are helping professionals including mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, clinical psychologists, and teachers. Their content ranges from deep dives into their favorite media like Steven Universe, Disney, Assassin’s Creed, and Babylon 5, or more broad topics on shows like GT Radio, Headshots, Rolling for Change, Geek Family Therapy, and Jedi Counsel.
Today, the Geek Therapy Network celebrates how Geek culture can be used for good by sharing the Geek Therapy model and similar models through podcasts, videos, blog posts, community outreach, education, and convention appearances.