Therapeutic Gaming
Using games, creativity and shared interests to create different ways of engaging in therapy.
For some neurodivergent young people, sitting across from someone and talking about thoughts and feelings isn't the easiest way to engage.
Games can provide another way in.
Therapeutic gaming uses games and shared interests intentionally within therapy to support engagement, connection and therapeutic goals. At Exceptionally You, this can include working together in Minecraft as part of an individual therapeutic session.
Why Minecraft?
Minecraft provides a flexible world where we can build, explore, problem-solve, experiment and create together.
Depending on the young person's goals, we might use Minecraft to explore things such as:
Recognising and responding to stress or overwhelm
Problem-solving and flexibility
Confidence and self-understanding
Values and what's important to them
Communication and connection
Coping with challenges and setbacks
Exploring experiences through metaphor and storytelling
Practising skills in a way that feels meaningful and engaging
Sometimes Minecraft may simply make it easier to talk while we're doing something alongside each other. The game isn't the therapy by itself — it's one of the ways we can create a therapeutic space that works for the young person.
Who might enjoy this approach?
Therapeutic gaming may be particularly helpful for young people who:
Have a strong interest in gaming or Minecraft
Find traditional talk-based therapy difficult to engage with
Communicate more comfortably through shared activities
Enjoy learning through doing, experimenting or creating
Have previously felt that therapy wasn't designed for them
A young person doesn't need to be highly skilled at Minecraft to use it in therapy.
Therapy that follows the young person
Minecraft isn't used in every session or with every young person. Like any therapeutic approach, whether we use it depends on the individual, their interests and what we're working towards together.
It can sit alongside conversation, creative activities and evidence-based approaches including ACT, CBT, DBT-informed strategies and trauma-informed work.
The goal isn't to make therapy look a particular way but to find ways of doing therapy that make sense to the person doing it.
Interested in therapeutic gaming?
If you think Minecraft or gaming might help you or your young person engage differently with therapy, you're welcome to get in touch.
We can talk about what you're looking for and whether therapeutic gaming might be a good fit.