#219 Therapeutic GamesInterview 2021.06.03

🎉 🎂 🎉 It's Ellen's birthday! 🎉 🎂 🎉

Wish her a happy one via the show's feedback form (seriously, that's what she asked for): nicegames.club/feedback.

Can games be used for therapeutic purposes? Absolutely! In this episode we talk with Adam Davis, therapeutic Game Master, and a co-founder and executive director of Game to Grow, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The organization is focused on "the use of games of all kinds for therapeutic, educational, and community growth."

Adam shares his experiences from over a decade in therapeutic play—how Game to Grow began, how he thinks about games as part of therapeutic experiences, and how he once managed SEVEN tabletop RPG campaigns simultaneously. We hope you enjoy our inspiring conversation with this really cool guy!

Helmet nachos! Source: Target Field Eats on Twitter https://twitter.com/tfeats/status/1039672499892576256 Therapeutic Games Game DesignTabletopGame to Grow blogCritical Core on Kickstarteris-drama-therapy.html#:~:text=Drama%20therapy%20is%20the%20intentional,express%20feelings%2C%20or%20achieve%20catharsis">Drama Therapy - North American Drama Therapy AssociationWheelhouse WorkshopIndividualized Education Plan (IEP) - Understood.comCollaboration vs. cooperation: What's the difference? - The Ripple Team, Ripple IntranetGame to Grow Keynote at the 2018 Washington Therapy Conference  - Adam DavisNo Thank You, Evil: The Award-Winning Game of Make-believe for Creative Kids an…Adam DavisGuest

Adam D. Davis, MA Ed, earned his Master’s degree in Education with a focus in drama therapy from Antioch University Seattle, and is a recognized member of the North American Drama Therapy Association.

Adam is a contributing author to three publications: Integrating Geek Culture into Therapeutic Practice; Game Play, 3rd Edition; and The Walking Dead Psychology.

In addition to his work with Game to Grow, Adam developed the CoRe Gaming program at the Atlantic Street Center utilizing video games to teach Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills, served as an educator at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, and taught fourth-grade literacy for Seattle Public Schools.

300x300.jpg?itok=A6G4YzZV" width="300" height="450" alt="Profile picture of Adam Davis in a casual zip-up fleece." class="img-responsive"> External link Game to Grow websiteGame to Grow on Twitter