Reset: Video Games & Psychotherapy

by Mike Langlois

Ninety-seven percent of all adolescents in the US play video games, & more than half of the adults in this country play video games regardless of their race or income. The military has discovered that video games decrease symptoms of PTSD in veterans, and with the advent of the iPhone, mobile technology is making social media more prevalent than ever.Despite these numbers, clinicians are reluctant and uncertain how or when to integrate technology into their work. When social media or technology is mentioned at all, it is only as an ethical risk or liability, never as a powerful innovation in social work. This is in part due to an age-old mistrust and disdain of technology which has its roots in issues of class and psychology. But despite this, psychotherapy has passed the point where learning about technology is negotiable.In this book, psychotherapist Mike Langlois takes a fresh look at video games and technology, their impact on our lives, and what they could mean for the future of psychotherapy.

Genres: Video Games, Social Work

95 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 2011

About the author

I received my BA from Connecticut College in 1991, and my MSW from Smith College School for Social Work in 1994. I have 20 years of experience counseling adults and families. I am an adjunct faculty at Boston College School for Social Work and a teaching associate in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. I am licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. MA Lic: 1027261

I usually have two different browsers open, run Minecraft in the background, and listen to iTunes. Currently I am musing about psychotherapy, video games, adultism, social media, why we’re so down on failure, and the phenomenology of auto-responders.

Reviews

[Elena (bookinistka) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Therapy through video games? Bring it on I'd say...

[Len Edgerly · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think your kids or grandkids are addicted to video games, you need to read this book. Mike Langlois is a gamer and a therapist. What he has learned about the intersection of those two worlds is of great value to anyone trying to win or thrive in the game of life. What are your power-ups? Is this challenge a Solo Quest or an Escort Quest? What can your learn about someone--a child, a client, a friend--by asking about their in-game Avatar? How can you become an Epic Therapist?

The writing is clear and engaging, and the material is presented in an organized, useful way. I hope Mike will hunt and destroy the typos I found, which detract a bit from the flow of an otherwise well self-published guide.

This book is a little gem of insight and inspiration. Read it and level up!