Healthy Gaming: Therapy and Coaching
Find the path to successfully connecting video games with your mental health growth!
Are you interested in video games but want to make improvements in a few areas of life? We can help! Whether you enjoy shooters or sandbox, RPGs or fighters, life lessons are right there to be found on your path to positivity using therapy services.
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mindset TODAY!
If you enjoy video games, you likely understand the positive impact they can have on your mental health. However, it's also important to recognize when gaming starts to become unhealthy and affects other areas of your life negatively.
By using Kindbridge for therapy and coaching services, we specialize in helping individuals create a healthy balance between their love for gaming and their personal goals. We believe that video games can be used as a tool for growth and self-improvement, rather than a hindrance.
Gaming is not just an individual endeavor but can also serve as a platform to build stronger connections with family members. By participating in video games together, families can foster a shared understanding and cultivate mutual interests. From the family's perspective, it's an opportunity to step into the gamer's world, understand their passions, and engage in meaningful conversations. For the gamer, it provides a chance to share their love for gaming, allowing them to express themselves in a new light and build stronger familial bonds. It's about forging a bridge between two worlds, and with healthy gaming practices, it can be a step towards improved understanding and communication within the family.
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Request an AppointmentWhy Therapy and Coaching for Gamers?
People play video games for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the most common:
Relaxation & De-Stressing: Gaming provides a welcome refuge from the stresses of daily life. The immersive worlds and compelling narratives allow players to step into someone else's shoes and temporarily forget their real-world problems.
Skill Development: Video games can help build a variety of skills. Many genres help players develop a balance of hard skills and soft skills, including problem-solving abilities, mental rotation, hand-eye coordination, and reaction times.
Social Interactions: Online multiplayer games allow players to connect with friends or form new relationships. These virtual environments foster a sense of community and belonging.
Achievement: The sense of accomplishment derived from overcoming challenging levels or beating high scores is a major draw for many gamers.
Coping Mechanism: For some individuals, gaming can be a way to cope with difficult situations or emotions. It provides a distraction and an outlet for stress relief.
Entertainment: Simply put, video games are fun. They provide exciting gameplay, engaging storylines, and visually stunning graphics that entertain players for hours.
Therapeutic Benefits: Studies have shown that video games can have therapeutic benefits, such as improving mood or reducing anxiety. Certain games are even being used as the background for mental health and coaching services.
The neurochemistry of gaming is fascinating and plays a critical role in why games can be so captivating and rewarding. When we engage in an activity we enjoy, like gaming, our brain releases chemicals called neurotransmitters. Dopamine, often referred to as the "reward molecule", is released during the gaming process, particularly when we overcome a challenge, achieve a goal, or level up. If we recognize when our brain is seeking that dopamine hit, we can make conscious decisions about our gaming habits, ensuring they serve our wellbeing, rather than prevent it. Hence, playing video games with awareness and moderation can lead to positive responses, contributing to our overall mental health and happiness.
Therapy and coaching services can help you identify underlying issues that may be causing unhealthy gaming habits. Through personalized approaches that match your life and interests, our licensed therapists and coaches will work with you to create strategies to improve your mental health and reach your life goals.
Am I ready to explore the healthy gaming path?
Recognizing when it's the right time to seek help for a healthier gaming lifestyle can be a significant step forward. If you find yourself hoping to make a change in your life but have not found a way to stay motivated, health gaming services can be a good fit. It is normal to feel like there are opportunities to grow in life, but many people need an extra boost to begin the journey of self-improvement to level up just like we do in our favorite video games. If this feeling sounds familiar, it's a clear indication that you may benefit from therapy or coaching services aimed at promoting a healthy gaming mindset. The goal is not to eliminate gaming from your life but to establish a balanced relationship with it, one that brings joy but helps you find the best strategies for gamifying your day-to-day life.
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Get StartedWatch: How to Harness the Power of Video Games as Therapy
Many people who play video games may feel like life changes will be too hard to accomplish. Dr. Daniel Kaufmann explains how therapy can become a valuable tool in therapy and coaching services. Games teach us how to grow, and create a metaphor we can use to go after any goal in life, as long as we decide we will never give up.
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