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The Nerd Therapist is a resource for therapists, teachers or anyone who works with children to help them gain a better understanding of memes, video games, movies, tv shows and comic books.

Hi, I’m Mike. I’m a total nerd-turned-therapist. I work with children during the week, and never really grew out of superheroes, cartoons and videogames. This, combined with a good therapeutic lens, means I’m not often far away from being able to introduce kids to a topic or issue with imagery they can relate to and already have examples of.

Kids can tell when an adult is humouring them by pretending to understand Fortnite or Pokemon, and it can be frustrating for them to cover what they consider very basic concepts for you.

This will help you achieve more authentic rapport-building and understanding of what your clients, students or patients enjoy.

Copyright disclaimer: Unless specifically mentioned, all creative works and intellectual properties below are the property of their creator and/or licence holder. I claim no ownership of these properties. My intention is to inform parents and professionals about these properties.

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  • World of Warcraft 101
    World of Warcraft is likely the most famous and recognisable Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). The game first launched in 2004 and eight expansion packs have subsequently been released on approximately a two-yearly schedule. The game is set in the fantasy world of Azeroth, a land ravaged by conflict in the aftermath of invasionsContinue reading “World of Warcraft 101”
  • Among Us 101
    Among Us is the hit social deduction game which reached peak popularity in late 2020, despite being released in 2018. The game’s cute, cartoonish graphics offset the horror concept and theme. A space station’s crew must complete a series of tasks aboard their vessel, but among the crew is an Impostor; an alien entity posingContinue reading “Among Us 101”
  • Cyberpunk 2077 101
    Cyberpunk 2077 is the long-awaited first-person shooter & open-world role-playing game from CD Projekt Red, developers of the wildly successful dark fantasy series The Witcher. Cyberpunk 2077 is an all-in love letter to the cyberpunk genre, and embraces the themes and tropes of the genre: highly militarised mega-corporations who own government officials; normalised police brutality;Continue reading “Cyberpunk 2077 101”
  • Dragon Ball Z 101
    A bunch of my students talked about Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) at school before the break, which was a blast from the past!  Dragon Ball Z is an anime from the 1990s which found great success in the youth of the time, and is among the first anime series to reach mainstream popularity alongside theContinue reading “Dragon Ball Z 101”

“Appreciation and understanding for childrens media content gives us the ability to communicate and connect in their area of expertise, in a shared language and context”

Me, in my notes.