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.
- The Matrix – a trans allegoryThe Matrix is a classic piece of cinema, blending a post-apocalyptic, science-fiction thriller with amazing martial arts scenes and gunplay that set a new standard in cinema which would be imitated by action movies for years to come. When the film came out, cinemagoers immediately began exploring the many possibilities of the subtext, as theContinue reading “The Matrix – a trans allegory”
- Welcome to Night Vale 101Welcome to Night Vale is a comedy-horror podcast series, portrayed in the format of a local news and current events segment of the community radio station in the small desert hamlet of Night Vale. Welcome to Night Vale uses several overlapping themes to create its setting: existential horror, absurdist humour, conspiracy thriller and slice-of-life news.Continue reading “Welcome to Night Vale 101”
- Content Focus: Star Wars: The Clone WarsStar Wars: The Clone Wars is an animated series which originally debuted as a feature film in 2008, and was released as a television series. It is set during the Clone Wars, a galactic war fought between the forces of the Galactic Republic, a long-standing democratic institution, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, commonly referredContinue reading “Content Focus: Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
- Grand Theft Auto 101Let’s get controversial. Before we begin, I do not condone or endorse the acts depicted in Grand Theft Auto. This article is for the education and understanding of professionals who work with young people and gamers. As always with these… this game is clearly not for kids. Video games are a medium like cinema orContinue reading “Grand Theft Auto 101”
- Book Review: Super Survivors by Dr. Janina ScarletFocus: Super Survivors by Dr. Janina Scarlet A bit of a change of pace, folks! Instead of our usual look at some element of pop culture which we can use for therapy, in this article we’ll be looking at the work of another clinician who uses pop culture in a form of therapy. Today onContinue reading “Book Review: Super Survivors by Dr. Janina Scarlet”
“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.
