Lessons from the Playroom

168. Demystifying Minecraft in the Therapeutic Space with Brian Keating


Listen Later

In this episode, Lisa is joined by special guest Brian Keating, a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist and Certified Group Psychotherapist. Brian specializes in tele-play therapy and is a contributing author to Advances in Online Therapy: Emergence of a New Paradigm. He's presented on topics including grief, childhood bereavement, and the therapeutic use of the video game Minecraft, which is the focus of this episode. 

Join Lisa and Brian as they demystify the use of video games in therapy, with a particular focus on Minecraft, the most popular and successful video game ever to hit the market. Here are just a few of the key takeaways from this episode: 

  • Gain insight into Minecraft's therapeutic potential and ways to integrate it into the therapeutic process.
  • Explore transitioning from a "doing" to "being" perspective of Minecraft during therapy.
  • Understand various modes of gameplay and the therapeutic themes they evoke, including how Minecraft is a version of sandtray and art therapy.
  • Learn to communicate gaming's therapeutic benefits to parents and caregivers.
  • Examples of directive interventions and non-directive interventions when playing the game.
  • Understand how video games can support a client with body awareness and how to regulate their nervous system. 
  • Reflect on using Minecraft in one-on-one versus group therapy settings and learn from Brian's experiences (including his mistakes) with video games in therapy.

Tune in and discover the transformative potential of incorporating something as seemingly simple as a video game into your therapy sessions. Uncover the therapeutic magic behind Minecraft and how special it is for kids when we speak their language!

*For those not familiar, Minecraft is a sandbox video game that allows players to build and explore virtual worlds made up of blocks. It offers various modes, including Survival mode where players must gather resources, craft tools, and fend off enemies, and Creative mode where players have unlimited resources to build anything they can imagine.

Podcast Resources: 

  • Synergetic Play Therapy Institute
  • Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website
  • FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey 
  • Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity

* If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Lessons from the PlayroomBy Lisa Dion

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

120 ratings


More shows like Lessons from the Playroom

View all
The Trauma Therapist by Guy Crawford Macpherson

The Trauma Therapist

528 Listeners

Therapy Chat by Laura Reagan, LCSW-C

Therapy Chat

681 Listeners

Play Therapy Community by Jackie Flynn, EMDRIA Approved Consultant

Play Therapy Community

73 Listeners

Counselor Toolbox Podcast with DocSnipes by Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes

Counselor Toolbox Podcast with DocSnipes

617 Listeners

Therapist Uncensored Podcast by Sue Marriott LCSW, CGP & Ann Kelley PhD

Therapist Uncensored Podcast

1,387 Listeners

Attachment Theory in Action by The Knowledge Center

Attachment Theory in Action

148 Listeners

Neurodiversity Podcast by Emily Kircher-Morris

Neurodiversity Podcast

421 Listeners

All Things Sensory by Harkla by Rachel Harrington, COTA/L, AC & Jessica Hill, COTA/L

All Things Sensory by Harkla

427 Listeners

Light Up The Couch by Clearly Clinical

Light Up The Couch

321 Listeners

The One Inside: An Internal Family Systems (IFS) podcast by Tammy Sollenberger

The One Inside: An Internal Family Systems (IFS) podcast

269 Listeners

Notice That by Jen Savage, Melissa Benintendi, and Bridger Falkenstien

Notice That

308 Listeners

Flusterclux With Lynn Lyons: For Parents Who Worry by Lynn Lyons LICSW, Robin Hutson

Flusterclux With Lynn Lyons: For Parents Who Worry

450 Listeners

The Baffling Behavior Show {Parenting after Trauma} by Robyn Gobbel

The Baffling Behavior Show {Parenting after Trauma}

244 Listeners

Play Therapy Podcast by Dr. Brenna Hicks

Play Therapy Podcast

79 Listeners

The Child Psych Podcast by Institute of Child Psychology

The Child Psych Podcast

78 Listeners