Geek therapy: How games and hobbies can help in healing

Therapy doesn’t always have to happen on a couch. If you’re a therapist looking to deepen connections with clients, especially younger ones or those who feel misunderstood, integrating their hobbies and interests may be the key.  

Some therapists use elements from “geek culture” and other hobbies to build rapport, create a safe space for emotional exploration, and develop client skills. It means weaving a client’s passions into their therapeutic goals. 

Here’s how geek therapy works—and how you can use it effectively. 

What is geek therapy?

Geek Therapy, a concept coined by Josué Cardona in 2011, integrates geek culture—like gaming, comics, science fiction, and fandoms—into therapeutic practices. Originally launched as a platform to celebrate geek culture and explore how its elements could foster connection, creativity, and healing, geektherapy.org became a nonprofit dedicated to helping therapists incorporate these tools for therapy. As geek culture gained mainstream popularity, therapists increasingly adopted it as a way to engage clients, particularly younger generations, who thrive in digital spaces and find identity through niche interests. 

Think of it as the “nerdier cousin” of modalities like art or sports therapy: instead of yoga, a client might use their passion for Dungeons & Dragons to explore storytelling, teamwork, or problem-solving. The approach is flexible—you can blend it with other therapies. For example, a therapist might combine a D&D session with art therapy, asking clients to draw their characters or imagined worlds. A fanfiction enthusiast could channel their creativity into a journaling exercise, reflecting on themes of identity or emotion. For geek therapists, client interests in video games, tabletop role-playing (TTRPGs), anime, fanfiction, or fantasy are not just escapism. For many, these activities are safe spaces to explore identity, build community, and practice resilience. Geek therapy uses the activities and media that clients love as tools for healing. 

When clients discuss Dungeons & Dragons, Roblox, or even tarot, they often reveal their core values, such as creativity, collaboration, or a desire to solve problems. 

Instead of viewing these interests as distractions, this approach invites clients to explore feelings, strengths, and challenges through the lens of play and storytelling. It can augment your clinical skills, using what engages the client to move the therapy forward. 

How does geek therapy work?

Meeting clients within the worlds they feel passionate about can help you build trust more quickly and uncover strengths they may not recognize. Using games, storytelling, and creative play creates a safer, often less direct, way to discuss difficult feelings, past experiences, or goals. 

These hobbies often provide natural practice in developing connections and a sense of belonging through communities and groups, applying creative problem-solving skills, and exploring emotional expression and regulation by identifying with characters or working through in-game setbacks. 

When you connect therapy to their existing interests, the process can feel less intimidating and more collaborative. You acknowledge and use the problem-solving, teamwork, and creative skills your clients already bring from their hobbies. 

In his article “Geek Therapy for Professionals” in Psychology Today, Anthony M. Bean, Ph.D., writes:

“These modalities have resulted in clients having less anxiety (e.g., social), less depressive symptoms (e.g., after playing video games), improved self-esteem, richer interpersonal interactions, greater social and school engagement, and greater development of social skills and problem-solving. They are being used to improve overall psychological well-being across all ages, as well as focusing on the specific needs of targeted populations, such as those with ADHD, ASD, PTSD, and mood and anxiety disorders.” 

Building rapport without faking it 

Rapport starts with curiosity, not expertise. You don’t need to memorize  Lord of the Rings lore or grind levels in Fortnite to connect. Ask open-ended questions: what draws you to this game? Who’s your favorite character, and why?  Listen closely to how their answers reveal strengths, fears, or unmet needs. If they mention feeling “like the healer in my group,” dig into what that role means—and whether it reflects pressure in real-life relationships. 

When you let clients teach you about their hobbies, you shift power dynamics. You become an ally, not an authority figure, which fosters safety. 

How to use geek tools therapeutically 

Game on: Collaborative video games 

Collaborative games like Overcooked, Portal 2, or Minecraft digital playgrounds for creativity and cooperation that require teamwork.  Playing alongside a client, or asking them to guide you, opens doors for discussion. Games allow you to observe and discuss how clients approach communication, how they practice emotional regulation when facing a setback, and how they engage in planning or goal-setting.  

To try this, the therapist and the client agree on a timeframe and a goal for the play, then pause afterward to reflect on the process. Ask about what worked or felt challenging, and work with the client to connect that experience to situations outside the game. For example, instead of traditional puzzles, you could have a session where a player fills out an anger management worksheet to progress in the game. 

Rolling dice: Dungeons & Dragons 

Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), like Dungeons & Dragons, are fundamentally about collaborative storytelling. They allow clients to safely explore identity, practice social interactions, and work through challenges using a character and a narrative. TTRPGs can support a client’s identity exploration as they try on different traits, provide a space to practice social skills like negotiation and turn-taking, and enable narrative processing by relating character choices to their own lives. The fantasy setting can make difficult topics feel more accessible.  

When using a TTRPG, geek therapists recommend you focus on the story rather than getting lost in complex rules. Ask reflective questions, such as “What would your character do?” that link character actions back to the client’s real-world feelings, choices, or goals. 

Reading the cards: Tarot and oracle decks 

The symbolism and imagery on cards can help clients articulate feelings, explore patterns, and gain new perspectives, even if they (or you) are skeptical. The goal is prompting reflection, not fortune-telling. To use them effectively, focus on the client’s own interpretation. You might ask, “What do you notice in this image?” or “Does any part of this story feel familiar to your current situation?” Then, use the client’s insights to connect back to their therapy goals. 

There are many tools in the hobby toolbox 

Think broadly, beyond these examples. Board games, comic books, sci-fi, coding, crafting, astronomy—any passionate interest can hold therapeutic value. Look for the underlying themes, whether they involve problem-solving, creativity, connection, or patience. You might, for example, use a client’s interest in fanfiction as a way to explore rewriting endings, or use comic-book-style journaling to process events visually. The hobby can serve as a rich source of metaphors for discussing your client’s life.  

Guiding principles for effective use 

Integrating these tools effectively requires thoughtfulness and care. If you’re not already familiar with geek therapy, you may want to undergo training to use it effectively. 

Always keep the client’s therapeutic goals at the center. Clearly explain why you are suggesting an activity. The activity itself is a conversation starter, not a replacement for therapy. It is essential that you set aside time to debrief, processing the feelings, insights, and links to real-life situations revealed during the activity. 

Crucially, follow the client’s lead and honor their interest. Ask what they enjoy but never force an activity if they seem hesitant or uncomfortable. You do not need to be an expert; approach their hobby with genuine curiosity, allowing the client to teach you. Your authenticity builds more trust than faked enthusiasm. Validating their interests by taking them seriously is, in itself, a way to build the therapeutic alliance. 

Finally, remember to maintain clear professional boundaries and ethics. Even when engaging in play, your role remains that of the therapist. Uphold all standards of confidentiality and be mindful to avoid dual relationships that could arise from shared hobbies outside of the therapeutic setting. 

Are you interested in geek therapy? 

You don’t need to overhaul your practice overnight. You could try weaving one or two references into assessments (“describe your ideal party members for a dungeon crawl…”) or offer a board game as an icebreaker. The goal isn’t to become a gaming guru—it’s to show clients their worlds matter enough to explore in therapy. Let curiosity lead the way as you learn alongside your client.  

When used thoughtfully, geek therapy isn’t a gimmick. Whether it’s through a D&D campaign, a Roblox session, or a tarot card discussion, these approaches can help build trust and make therapy feel more like a partnership. By leaning into what excites them, you create space for healing to happen organically.